Shanghai Daily News

A native from Fengxian has made sure that the folk song opera of her city is not lost to the outside world. Zhou Jinglu reports.

Not even a crippling stroke could stop the devotion of Fengxian woman Wu Meihua to her beloved Fengxian folk song opera.

Despite her 68 years and the lingering effects of the stroke, Wu, considered the savior of the art, gave more than 35 performances to local residents last year.

Wu said she fell in love with Fengxian opera as a child and often asked her elder sister to take her to see it.

"I became interested in opera when I was just 10 years old. I watched many performances at that time and imitated their singing and dancing after returning home. From then on, I learned to play opera myself," she said.

Fengxian folk song opera is a kind of song and dance drama, which was sung by workers and farmers and encouraged them to work hard. It features bright singing and lively dancing.

"Once while watching people playing Fengxian folk song opera, I suddenly realized how few people were learning this Fengxian tradition. I felt very sad.

"I realized it embodied a wealth of Fengxian culture. We should cherish it and pass it down from generation to generation."

Wu was then working in Fengxian Culture Administration and she learned professional skills about playing opera there. She improved rapidly because of her diligent work.

While learning Fengxian opera, she met many other people who had the same passion and they soon became good friends.

"I was satisfied with the happiness of playing opera and I never seemed to tire of it. I still often practice in my spare time and discuss with my friends how to play it well," Wu smiled.

She gave performances to local people and urged them not to forget it. Her operas were highly welcomed and she was asked to return many times.

Then in 1992 Wu suffered a stroke which left the left side of her body paralyzed from head to foot.

"It was a nightmare. I fainted backstage just after I finished a performance. I was sent to the nearest hospital. When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying on a bed unable to move," Wu said.

"I was terrified to find the left side of my body had no feeling. I had a desperate fear that I would never play opera again."

After leaving hospital two months later, Wu was determined to treat herself and worked out a recovery plan, even though her doctor frankly said she might never walk again. She kept moving her left side and excised several times every day.

To everyone's surprise, she was able to walk with a crutch after two months. This encouraged her greatly and in the following six months she worked out at least five hours a day and did some simple sport.

With her positive disposition and a strong determination to play opera again, she recovered very well.

In 1994, she organized a group for retired people to practice opera together. The group attends lessons twice a week and is always available to give free performances for the old, the handicapped and charitable institutions.

"Some of Fengxian folk song opera has been lost with the passing of time," Wu said.

"I'm extremely sad about that. I think everybody should take the responsibility of spreading the folk art and make it much more popular in the future."

Though her physical adversity sometimes troubles her, Wu insists on playing the folk song opera and takes it as her responsibility to let more people know about it.