STORY: Experiencing charm of Peking Opera in China's Tianjin
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 10, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 17, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:14
LOCATION: TIANJIN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
3. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WAN LIN, Actor of Tianjin Peking Opera Theatre
4. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
5. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): WAN LIN, Actor of Tianjin Peking Opera Theatre
6. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
7. SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): JIANG XIAOYUN, Tourist
8. SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): HE CHUAN, Director of comprehensive work department of Tianjin Museum of Theater
9. SOUNDBITE 9 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student

STORYLINE:

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
"I'm from Madagascar. And now I'm studying in Tianjin Foreign Studies University. I've been living in China for 2 years already and I really like Chinese culture, especially the Chinese opera performance. And it's interesting that this old arts can attract more and more young people. Today I have the opportunity to take a close look."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
"The opera performance hasn't started yet. So let's go to the backstage to see what preparation they are making before going on the stage. Let's go."

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WAN LIN, Actor of Tianjin Peking Opera Theatre
"This is the place for 'Ban Xi', where we put on makeup and costumes. It usually takes an actor or actress one to two hours to make preparations for the performance."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
"I really like to watch Chinese performance opera, because the clothes, the makeup and stuff is amazing. It's really professional."

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): WAN LIN, Actor of Tianjin Peking Opera Theatre
"As a national intangible cultural heritage, Peking Opera emphasizes beauty. A single graceful turn on stage might take us a long time to perfect. The essence of this opera has been passed down through generations of artists by careful instruction. It's aimed at preserving tradition while also innovating."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
"The opera performance is about to start. You can see everybody is getting ready right now. Here there is a lot of audience. They are ready to watch."

SOUNDBITE 7 (Chinese): JIANG XIAOYUN, Tourist
"In the traditional setting of the opera stage, there's a sense of time travel, taking you back to the era when Peking Opera originated. It allows you to appreciate the traditional culture of that time and experience the unique charm of our national treasure."

SOUNDBITE 8 (Chinese): HE CHUAN, Director of comprehensive work department of Tianjin Museum of Theater
"This grand theater is a key national cultural relic. On this stage, visitors can experience various intangible cultural heritage performances such as Peking Opera, magic shows, and cross-talk. Combining intangible heritage with tourism, visitors can enjoy our traditional culture and intangible cultural arts within this century-old theater."

SOUNDBITE 9 (English): EVELYNO, Madagascan student
"The actors are trying their best to keep it standing until right now. It's really important. The building is special. It can attract more people like young people, like (people) all around the world to understand Chinese culture, and feel how this performance looks like."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Tianjin, China.
(XHTV)