Clockwise from left: Yueju Opera masters Fu Quanxiang, Fan Ruijuan,Xu Yulan and Yuan Xuefen.

Shanghai Daily news

Four women in their 80s pose and smile. Deep wrinkles climb over their faces. Cameras flash here and there. For these old ``superstars,'' this year has great significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of their artistic career in Yueju Opera, one of China's most influential traditional operas.

Yuan Xuefen, Fan Ruijuan, Fu Quanxiang and Xu Yulan, the four Yueju Opera masters, have played a decisive role in the development of Yueju Opera.

Their constant endeavor and continuous innovations not only resulted in four new singing schools, but also brought Yueju Opera, once just a local performing art in Zhejiang Province, into a nationwide traditional opera following in the footsteps of Peking and Kunqu operas.

This month, their significant contribution will be rewarded by a grand celebration in Shanghai. The celebration will kick off with a big seminar. More than 100 attendees including government officials, art professionals, delegates from other traditional opera houses as well as audience are invited to participate.

The highlight is a series of performances at Yifu Theater. Four special performances dedicated to the four masters and two concerts combining their different singing schools will be staged.

The performances are part of the ongoing Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Performers will present arias from classical plays such as ``Butterfly Lovers,'' ``A Dream of Red Mansions'' and ``Romance of the Western Bower.'' Students of the masters and other renowned Yueju Opera performers from more than 10 opera houses across China and abroad will gather together to present their singing skills.

``It's very rare to gather so many performers that represent different singing schools at a concert,'' says You Boxin, president of the Shanghai Yueju Opera House. ``It's also the first time for a traditional opera in China to have such a celebration for four artists at the same time.''

In order to commemorate the four artists, China Post has specially designed and produced a 16-piece stamp set with an issuing ceremony on October 13.

During the late 1940s, the women were claimed to be members of the ``10 sisters of Yueju Opera'' together with other six actresses, who have all passed away.

``So we're the survivors,'' says Yuan. ``We're honored to be the participants of Yueju Opera's reform and development.''

Influenced by contemporary drama, Yuan started to bring innovation to old Yueju Opera in 1942. She adopted the regular system for play writing and rehearsal to the opera and brought reforms in costume design and stage setting.

She also combined the performing characteristics of drama and film to Yueju Opera, developing it to an art that is closer to life.

Like Yuan, the other women have contributed a lot to the art form. They have staged different vivid characters, which are still talked about by fans today, and have traveled abroad, taking Yueju Opera to an overseas market.

``What we did is now history, the future of Yueju Opera lies in the young generation,'' Yuan points out. ``I hope that our successors won't simply repeat what their teachers have done. We don't need clones, we need innovation.''

Fan agrees: ``I suggest that my students come up with their own ideas. Simply imitating is not the way. And most of the time, the audience should be our first consideration. It will be great if our students can create new singing schools.''

Date: October 15-20, 7:15pm
Venue: Yifu Theater, 701 Fuzhou Rd
Tickets: 80-500 yuan
Tel: 6322-5294, 6433-2425