A great woman, a magnificent epic. Xian Ying, a young girl of the Li Chinese (appellation of the groups around the Lingnan area by the Central Plains people of the North), devoted her life to walking a legend of a thousand years, i.e., "I have been loyal to the monarchs of three dynasties with a dedicated heart. All fame is vanity, and I'm all alone at last", leaving the myth of "Lingnan Madonna" revered by the people for ages. On the evening of October 11, Night of Futian - Guangdong Cantonese Opera Institute "Madam Xian", was staged at the Shenzhen Grand Theatre during the 2023 Shenzhen Belt & Road International Music Festival and the 3rd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. 

The opera tells the moving story of Xian Ying, Madam Xian, who protected her country and her people during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. At that time, the whole country was in flames with wars among regional overlords. In Lingnan (generally the region south of the Five Ridges in southern China), Xian Ying, a young girl from the Li Chinese, took the life of the masses as her own responsibility and succeeded the chief of Qiandong. Xian Ying showed outstanding leadership expertise when she was young. She led the army to win external fights by surprise, and protected the masses of her nationality, attracting many praises. Xian Ying and Feng Bao (a prefecture chief in feudal China) loved each other and got married, together to protect the local masses. She resolutely quelled the fury of the strong impulse from Da Meng (former owner of Qiandong), who treated her like his younger sister, thus eliminating the war disasters. Xian Ying, honoring her promise to the monarch of the Chen Dynasty, was ordered to send her only son to loyally serve the monarch in times of crisis. In the end, for the sake of centuries of stability in Lingnan, she put aside her personal feelings of love to defend the unity of the country. At the scene, the ups and downs of the plot, heart-wrenching transitions, and sonorous and powerful music pulled the audience's thoughts into the splendor of Lingnan culture. 

The Cantonese opera "Madam Xian", is written by renowned scriptwriters Wang Xinsheng and Mei Xiao, adapted by Chen Jinrong, a renowned Cantonese opera scriptwriter, and Feng Minyi, a national first-class scriptwriter, directed by Zhang Ping, a national first-class director, and starring Zeng Xiaomin, Wen Ruqing, Peng Qinghua, Wang Yanfei, and Xi Jiantang, all renowned Cantonese opera artists. The aria and music in the opera not only highlight the singing characteristics of Cantonese opera but also integrate the elements of the times. With well-made costumes and props, simple, abstract, and poetic choreography, and lighting design, the opera stages a strong visual impact. At the same time, Xian Ying's life pursuit is sublimated in emphasizing the importance of Chinese unification, the historicity of the choice of the crisis, the wisdom of the deep sense of justice, and the eternity of the well-being of the masses. This well-produced work integrates ideology, artistry, with spectacle. 

Although the entire performance was expressed in Cantonese, the audience was never less enthusiastic. The performance duration of nearly two and a half hours was full of applause and high praises from the audience. It's worth noting that the opera attracted a lot of young people that day. Ms. Zheng, born after 1995, is one of them. "In the beginning, I couldn't understand it, but gradually I was mesmerized by it, the opera is beyond imagination." In Ms. Zheng's eyes, the opera is exquisite to the extreme, from choreography to singing style, from lighting to movement, fully demonstrating the charm of Chinese culture. And that brings us to the great performances of the cast. 

Zeng Xiaomin, who played the role of Xian Ying, sang with affection, a mellow voice, and euphemistic and delicate music voices. With extraordinary action arts skills, she delivered us an outstanding female image who was both cultured and military-expertise, smart and calm, and committed to safeguarding national unity and benefiting the masses. Peng Qinghua and Wen Ruqing respectively played the brave and upright Da Meng, a chief commander, and the elegant Feng Bao, a prefecture chief, who also accurately expressed the characteristics of the opera characters. "The actor performed the heroine from fifteen or sixteen years old to eighty or ninety years old extremely full of tension, epic wave magnificent life show incisively and vividly. This opera also very vividly delivered Chen Baxian's strategic aggressiveness and Hua Nai's elegant loyalty. Even the curtain call makes the audience so touched," said Ms. Zheng. 

Ms. Zhang, a Hong Kong citizen working in Shenzhen, introduced the content of the opera to foreign friends in English while waiting for the performance. "Few young people are exposed to Cantonese opera, but today fortunately I have the chance to feel the charm of traditional Chinese culture." According to Ms. Zhang, she learned about the opera from her British friends. "I didn't have a moment's delay to buy a ticket when I saw the English introduction of this opera on the Internet. I like Chinese civilization very much, and I am also fascinated by Lingnan culture." said Ms. Zhang. "And the tickets are also affordable."

The moon bends to shine Jiuzhou (a poetic name for China), and the crescent wishes to stay with Li Chinese. Madam Xian, a Cantonese opera film, will be released soon, radiating the time charm of the traditional culture and wading a path of innovation in opera films.