Local Official Proposes to Award Tamasaburo Honorary Citizenship after Premiere
China-Japan Version of The Peony Pavilion starring prestigious Japanese Kabuki master Tamasaburo Bando premiered on the evening of March 13 at Suzhou Science and Cultural Arts Center by the Jinji Lake. Listening to the familiar and beautiful tunes and lyrics, enjoying the traditional performance with unique glamour, the audience has been greatly impressed and lost in the world of Du Liniang. Among the audience, there were Mr. Pan Zhenzhou, vice president of China International Culture Association, Mr. Wang Rong, Standing Committee Member of CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee and Secretary of CPC Suzhou Municipal Committee, Mr. Wang Renyuan, Deputy Inspector of Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture, as well as municipal government officials Xu Guoqiang, Ma Minglong, Wang Hongsheng, and Fu Caiqin. Mr. Yutaka Yokoi, Consul-General of Japan in Shanghai, came with his wife from Shanghai to attend the premiere.
Chinese and Japanese governments signed China-Japan Cultural Exchange Agreement three decades ago and 2009 is the 30th anniversary of the agreement, which makes the public show of this local masterpiece performed by a Japanese master in the hometown of Kunqu opera have a special and profound significance.
Tamasaburo kept his promise on giving a traditional interpretation of the masterpiece and his performance showed his deep understanding of both the content of the play and the exquisite essence of the Kunqu art.
At the conclusion of the show, the audience applauded the success of the performance. Tamasaburo said he was "very happy" to be accepted by local fans. Local official Wang Rong thanked Tamasaburo for his contributions to Kunqu opera and proposed that Suzhou mayor should grant Tamasaburo Bando the title of Honorary Citizen of Suzhou.
March 14, 2009
