Review | Raymond Zhou The revival of White Deer Prairie is long overdue. Ever since the poor reception of 2012's filmversion, translated as "White Deer Plain" and also adapted from the 1993 novel, those whopresented the stage version should have got a boost in confidence. It is a worthy addition tothe hallowed repertory of Beijing People's Art Theater, known for its solid style of socio-realism. Spanning the first half of the 20th century, White Deer Prairie performs the impossible task ofcombining a historical vista with the intimacy of individuals caught in the constant turmoil. The dueling patriarchs of the Bai (white) and Lu (deer) families provide an anchor for apanorama of rural China as it writhes in the transformation from an old era to a new one. The play, written by veteran playwright Meng Bing,retains much of the huge cast of characters. Somehave only a few scenes yet manage to be three-dimensional portrayals rather than tokens orcaricatures. Amazingly, none of them remain static over thecourse of the epic story, and their transformationsare at once mind-boggling and credible. Most end in tragedies that are emblematic of the fateof the nation. Leading an ensemble cast that merges seamlessly with real farmers from Shaanxi province,Pu Cunxin and Guo Da deliver top-notch performances, complete with the local dialect andrural mannerisms. The farmers chant folk songs during transitional, opening and closing scenes, giving breathingroom to a densely plotted tale and imbuing it with authenticity and poignancy. The use of live chanting does not turn the play into a Broadway-style musical. Instead, itgives director Lin Zhaohua a means to achieve a Brechtian distance for the audience,enabling viewers to accurately put what takes place on stage in a specific time and locationand thereby not immersing too deeply into the grand sweep of the drama, or ironically, notrelating too much to the present. Lin's ability to bring out nuances in a predominantly realistic production has injected newblood into a hoary tradition. The crowd scenes are stylistic and many of the monologues aredelivered right to the audience, breaking the fourth wall. Yi Liming's design of the set and costumes also evokes the "yellow and dusty plateau"without being too literal or messy. The gloom is thought-provoking, not suffocating. The difficulty of bringing this mammoth tale of Chinese history to a performing-arts platform isobvious, as testified by the failure of Wang Quan'an's sumptuously photographed film. Part of the trick lies in the female lead of Tian Xiao'e, the concubine who defies tradition bymarrying a farmhand. Her beauty upsets the tenuous harmony of a traditional Chinesecommunity. Unlike the movie version, the play refuses to go in the direction of melodrama and does notfall into the trap of centering much of the story around her. Everyone suffers in that society, and women more so than men. That point is driven home,but is part of a much larger tragedy, and should remain so.

Performance Musical Under the baton of Nicholas Smith, the performance of the International Festival Chorus and International Festival Orchestra will bring the classic Broadway musical Lady in the Dark to Beijing audiences. 10-320 yuan (US$1.3-40). 7:30 pm, Jun 17 at Forbidden City Concert Hall in Zhongshan Park, Northwest of Tian'anmen Square. 6559-8285. Conductor remembered To commemorate the late, famous conductor Li Delun (1917-2002), the China National Symphony Orchestra will present a special concert, conducted by Li Xincao. Programmes: Beethoven's Egmont Overture, debut of Wang Xilin's adagio Ode to Li Delun, Zhang Qiang's pipa concerto Grassland Sisters and Strauss' A Hero's Life. 60-580 yuan (US$7.5-72.5). 7:30 pm, Jun 10 at Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District. 6605-7006. , Singing with glamour Coloratura Wu Bixia, who made her debut when she was only 12, will do a vocal recital. Graduated from the China National Conservatory of Music, the talented and hardworking singer has developed various vocal styles, including Chinese folk and western opera singing. Wu has won prizes in overseas vocal competitions and her angelic voice and smile have won acclaims in the world. 50-380 yuan (US$6-48). 7:30 pm, Jun 18 at Beijing Concert Hall, 1 Beixinhuajie, Xicheng District. 6605-7006. , 1 Song and dance Adapted from the musical movie Liu Sanjie (1960), this song and dance show with the same name tells the story of Liu Sanjie, a village woman in the beautiful Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, who, famous for singing beautiful folksongs, fights the rich with her wits and finds true love during the process. 80-880 yuan (US$10-110). 7:30 pm, Jun 18,19 at Poly Theatre, Dongsi Shitiao, Chaoyang District. 6506-5345, 6506-5343. Familiar melodies As part of the celebrations for the 250th birthday of Mozart, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter will play Mozart's sonatas in her third concert in Beijing following ones in 1997 and 1999. Embarking on her career as a soloist in 1976, Mutter has given concerts around the world. 180-1,680 yuan (US$23-210). 7:30 pm, Jun 27 at Century Theatre, Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 6468-3311. Modern classics Satire drama The Inspector General based on Nikolai Gogol's work, is directed and performed by a group of young performers in Beijing. It unfolds a farce of a corrupt local official who faces real and fake government inspectors. Maintaining the realistic flavour of the original work, the new version boasts more comedy elements and a more up-to-date feel. 30-180 yuan (US$4-23). 7:30 pm, Jun 10-18 at Opera House of People's Liberation Army, 60 Deshengmennei Dajie, Jishuitan, Haidian District. 6406-9999. , 60 Fun on the farm Directed by Lin Zhaohua, the drama White Deer Prairie boasts top performers such as Pu Cunxin, Song Dandan and Guo Da. Considered a strong portrayal about China's modernization in the 1980s, the drama depicts a story of Chinese farmers in the north of Shaanxi Province, describing how the culture of farming and learning is inherited, developed and ruined. 60-500 yuan (US$8-63). 7:30 pm, until Jul 2 at Capital Theatre, 22 Wangfujing Dajie. 6524-9847.22 Marionette play As part of the Year of Italy in China, the 300-year-old Company of Marionettes Colla and Sons' transforms Aida, one of Verdi's heaviest and most profound works into a comic opera. Marionettes are manipulated with amazing skills, and the ending is changed, making the temple fall down and allowing Radames and Aida to escape to the forest. 40-480 yuan (US$5-60). 7:30 pm, Jun 10-11 at China Children's Theatre, 64 Dong'anmen Dajie, Wangfujing. 6513-4115. ,64 Traditional pop The Twelve Girls Band, a group of the conservatory-trained young women perform anything from Chinese folk music to a rendition of Coldplay's "Clocks" with traditional Chinese instruments. They have toured Asia, Europe and America. 80-800 yuan (US$10-100). 7:30 pm, Jun 16 at Beizhan Theatre, Xizhimenwai Dajie, Haidian District. 6835-4455. Exhibition Life in a lens Prestigious photographer Edward Weston's works have hit the capital. The late snapper left us with a great legacy of 20th century visual art, including portraits from his early years, ones taken in his heyday and his last days.10 am-6 pm, until June 18 at the International Visual Arts Gallery, Rome 1201 Lanbao International Centre, 3 Dawang Lu, Chaoyang District. 8599-9211. , 31201 Old city scenes In 88 oil paintings and ink works by 65 artists, Beijing's streets, lanes, courtyards and local customs are unfolded before the eyes of visitors. The old city shows its combining flavour of modern and historical elements in the exhibition entitled Roaming the City, sponsored by the Beijing Art Academy. 9 am-5 pm, until Jun 12 at National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District. 6401-7076/2252. , 1 Ancient books An exhibition on precious Chinese ancient books, 60 per cent being national-level treasures, is on. Visitors can get involved in interactive activities such as watching workers mend the damaged old books and learning such skills. Free. 9 am-4 pm, until Jun 25, at China National Library, 33 Zhongguanchun Nandajie, Haidian District. 8854-5300. 33 Patient abstraction When fast food replaces leisurely meals; e-mailing replaces letter-writing, and restless activity replaces patient concentration in our modern society, American artist Michael Cherney examines minutiae for meaning and expresses that meaning in labour-intensive works of art the enlarged abstract images which make viewers gaze and think. 10 am-6 pm, until Jun 22 at 798 Photo Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 6438-1784/5284. , 4 Master's works Veteran artist Xu Linlu, 90, is showing his ink paintings. Xu has been talented in fine arts since his early years. Since 1945 he formally studied under the tutelage of Qi Baishi in the following 14 years. Absorbing strong points from works of Shi Tao, Zhu Da and Wu Changshuo, Xu develops his landscape and flower-and-bird techniques and combines the folk art and free-hand presentation. 9 am-5 pm, until Jun 12 at National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District. 6401-7076. ,1 Travel inspiration Over 15 mixed media paintings by American artist David Dieter titled Pangaea Swing Series are on display, featuring contemporary and abstract dance. His paintings explore how the human race is merging together faster than ever due to technology, travel and information. 10 am-5 pm, until Jun 18 at Margin Art Gallery, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 8340-8306. 4 Mass ranks Wang Jixian and Su Maijie's recent works try to shape China's contemporary society and its bustling people. The mass effect and the multiplicity of art help viewers witness a nonsensical, swarming world. 1 pm-6 pm, until Jun 15 at Perif Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 135-2038-7498. , 4 Surrounding reflection Named Look Up or Look Down at, a joint exhibition of Xu Zhiwei's photographs and Huang Zhiqiong's paintings is on, recording the artists' mental reflections of the surrounding world. 10:30 am-6:30 pm, until Jun 18 at Rain Gallery, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 6432-3274. , 4 Impressive installations Italian contemporary artist Loris Cecchini's sculptures, installations, photographs and video works are on show. 11 am-5 pm, until Jun 20 at Galleria Continua, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 6436-1005. , 2 Martell artist awards The works of a group of artists who have won the recent 2006 Martell Artists of the Year Awards are on display. Winners are five painters of unique artistic sense and distinctive achievements in their individual genres, including Zhang Xiaogang, a contemporary oil painter with eyes that stare from inside. 9 am-5 pm, until Jun 12 at National Art Museum of China, 1 Wusi Dajie, Dongcheng District. 6401-7076/2252. , 1 (China Daily 06/08/2006 page12)

Writer, human rights activist and former political prisoner Bo Yang (柏楊), who infuriated both the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party with his tart critiques of Chinese culture, abusive leaders and anti-democratic behavior, died early yesterday morning of complications from pneumonia. He was 88. Bo had been receiving treatment for pneumonia at the Cardinal Tien Hospital in Sindian (新店), Taipei County, since February. Born in 1920 in Henan Province, China, Bo authored more than 200 works. One of the most prominent was The Ugly Chinaman (醜陋的中國人), in which he pilloried Chinese culture as dirty, noisy, divisive, obsequious and vainglorious. The book came as a shock when it was first published in Taiwan in 1984. Although it was banned in China until 2000, underground copies were widely available. Last August, Bo began planning a comic-strip version of the book, saying that it could reach out to young people today who tend not to read. The New York Times once called Bo “China’s Voltaire.” Bo, whose real name was Kuo Yi-tung (郭衣洞), followed the KMT government to Taiwan after the KMT lost the Chinese civil war. He found work as a columnist for the Independence Evening Post, a small liberal newspaper, but quickly ran foul of the KMT dictatorship after he blasted Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) government over corruption and abuse of power. One of his more controversial pieces of writing at the time was Foreign Land (異�000a study of the KMT soldiers stranded in what would become the Golden Triangle after they were unable to join their compatriots in Taiwan. His reporting on their destitution embarrassed senior military officials who escaped from the area. He was then jailed in 1968 following a translation of the American comic strip Popeye, which was interpreted as criticizing Chiang’s refusal to conduct free presidential elections. He served nine years in prison, mostly on Green Island (綠島), after being convicted of acting as a communist spy — a government catchall for dealing with troublemakers during the Martial Law era. Aside from managing a prolific writing career, which included historical studies, short fiction, journalism and translations of classical Chinese works, Bo was keen to advocate human rights and served as Amnesty International’s Taiwan office director from 1994 to 1996. Bo’s health began to deteriorate in September 2006 and he had been in and out of hospital several times since then, eventually forcing him to stop writing. Despite his illness, Bo followed politics closely. He said he was disappointed at the record of the Democratic Progressive Party administration, but also worried about the KMT’s return to power. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday expressed his “deepest regret” over Bo’s death. Chen said he would confer a posthumous medal on Bo and asked government agencies to assist Bo’s family with funeral arrangements. The Presidential Office statement described Bo as a modern thinker who had been eminently capable of representing Taiwan. The president said Bo exerted a great influence on contemporary Taiwanese literature and was held in high esteem in literary circles, both domestic and international. The statement added that Chen was grateful for the advice Bo gave him during his stint as senior presidential adviser. The president visited Bo in hospital on Saturday. Bo’s wife, the poet Chang Hsiang-hua (張香華), told Chen at that time that he was the only president to express respect toward him. President-elect Ma Ying-jeou (九) also visited Bo in hospital on April 16. Bo is survived by his wife and two sons and three daughters from previous marriages.