Chinese Heroines, a Trilogy

Director and librettist Li Liuyi and composer Guo Wenjing – already known to Dutch audiences from his work Night Banquet – present the story of three female warriors, each of whom played a decisive role in Chinese history, in three full-length operas. 

These are made in a form that lies between the Western and the traditional Chinese operatic styles; central to all three is a woman holding a conversation with three men who have played a part in her life. In the first opera of the trilogy (2003) we see how heroine Mu Guiying pursues her inner struggle between hate and desire during a purification ritual in the hours before a battle, calling up memories of her dead husband and his heroic ancestors; these are played as ‘lao sheng’ roles, the ‘old man’ roles from traditional Chinese opera.

The character Hua Mulan stands at the heart of the second opera of the trilogy (2004); her name has already become known through the Disney version of her tale. Disguised as a man, she won fame and renown as a brave warrior; she returned home accompanied by her superior, an older general, and by the younger general with whom she had fallen in love. In conversation with her father and the generals – played as traditional jing roles, characters with painted faces – she slowly reveals her identity as a woman and we see her struggling with the themes of parental and patriotic love as well as the desires and needs of the individual as opposed to those of the collective.

The third and final opera of the trilogy Chinese Heroines will have its world premiere during the Holland Festival. Director Li Liuyi, who makes his European debut with this trilogy, and composer Guo Wenjing, whose Night Banquet has previously been performed in the Holland Festival, have now taken their inspiration from the Chinese clown tradition. Liang Hongyu was a famous prostitute who, after carrying out various deeds of war, chose to live in isolation in her brothel.