[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_image=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/ywg-no-makeup.jpg” parallax=”on” width=”100%” min_height=”100px” custom_margin=”-12px||213px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-50px||194px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”11vw|1px|0|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”rgba(10,10,10,0.49)” transform_translate_linked=”off” min_height=”192px” custom_margin=”204px|auto|150px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”20px|48px|20px|48px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”50px” text_line_height=”1.2em” header_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” custom_margin=”8px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”29px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.3em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”32px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
The Ascent Of The Prince Of Chu Opera<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat|500|||||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”15px” header_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_font_size=”80px” header_5_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_5_text_color=”#000000″ header_5_font_size=”20px” header_5_letter_spacing=”0.5em” header_5_line_height=”1.8em” min_height=”0px” custom_margin=”15px|129px|1px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”9px|0px|||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”” custom_padding_phone=”|0px|||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” animation_style=”zoom” animation_intensity_zoom=”5%” text_line_height_tablet=”” text_line_height_phone=”1.8em” text_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” header_font_size_tablet=”48px” header_font_size_phone=”32px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_5_font_size_tablet=”14px” header_5_font_size_phone=”12px” header_5_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ inline_fonts=”Montserrat” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Yu Wei Gang shares with <\/span>Sonia Tan<\/b>, who was on a five-week Overseas Immersion Programme at the Wuhan Institute of Technology in Sep 2019, his journey as an opera star in Wuhan.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-194px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ min_height=”84px” custom_margin=”-67px|auto||auto||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-145px|auto|-100px|auto|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-22px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Award-winning Chu opera actor Yu Wei Gang has already achieved significant milestones in the industry despite being only 31. Photo courtesy of Russell Lee.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Us” _builder_version=”4.16″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”0px|48px” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_translate_linked_phone=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|phone” min_height=”1463px” custom_margin=”-136px||-385px|||” custom_padding=”90px|||||” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ custom_padding_last_edited=”off|desktop” _builder_version=”4.16″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate=”0px|-53px” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_translate_linked=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|desktop” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”27px|0|27px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|0px||0px||true” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.4em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_5_font=”Montserrat||||||||” header_5_text_color=”#b3b3b3″ header_5_font_size=”14px” header_5_line_height=”0.5em” header_6_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”16px” header_6_letter_spacing=”5px” header_6_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”659px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”0px|79px|104px||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-40px|79px|0px||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px||||” header_2_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n BY <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/ywg-makeup.jpg” alt=”yu wei gang prince of chu opera wuhan” title_text=”ywg makeup” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ width=”56%” width_last_edited=”off|desktop” custom_margin=”-35px|||||” custom_padding=”34px|||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” min_height=”43px” custom_margin=”-20px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Yu Wei Gang donning his costume and getting his makeup rituals done before a performance. <\/i><\/span>Photo courtesy of Russell Lee.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Libre Caslon Text||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” header_font=”||||||||” header_2_font=”Raleway|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.4em” header_6_font=”Raleway|700||on|||||” header_6_font_size=”16px” header_6_letter_spacing=”5px” header_6_line_height=”1.8em” max_width=”1320px” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|-415px||-616px||” custom_padding=”|0px|1px|0px||” header_2_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Thick layers of white and red make-up, heavy elaborate costumes, blinding stage lights and a sea of people watching. This is life for young Chu opera performer Yu Wei Gang.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>At 31 years old, the young artiste has already made his mark in the industry, amassing 10 awards and playing lead roles in major productions. Earning himself the accolade of \u2018Prince of Chu Opera\u2019, Yu has immersed himself in this traditional art form for just 13 years, a relatively short span of time for a professional artiste.<\/span><\/p>\n His love for Chu opera was sparked at a young age when he watched the classic Qin Xianglian <\/span>(<\/span><\/i>\u79e6\u9999\u83b2<\/span>)<\/span><\/i> on television. At the age of 13, Yu enrolled in the Hubei Chu Opera Academy where his classmates would be about seven or eight years old.<\/span><\/p>\n Chinese opera troupes usually enrol new batches of students every 10 years. With the exception of natural-born talents, troupes typically only accept children aged 8 to 14 years old, because that is the prime.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Theatre professionals often quote this as a succinct description of their artistic journey: Three minutes of glory on stage; 10 years of hard work off stage (<\/i>\u53f0\u4e0a\u4e09\u5206\u949f\uff0c\u53f0\u4e0b\u5341\u5e74\u529f )<\/i>. It was no different for Yu whose path to stardom was paved with challenges and hardship.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/ywg-chu-opera.jpg” alt=”chu opera wuhan” title_text=”ywg chu opera” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-35px|||||” custom_padding=”34px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” min_height=”43px” custom_margin=”-20px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Chu opera which is native to China\u2019s Hubei province has over 150 years of history. It usually narrates stories of legends and family life. Photo courtesy of Yu Wei Gang.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Libre Caslon Text||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” header_3_font=”Montserrat|600||||||#e02b20|” header_3_text_align=”left” header_3_text_color=”#233956″ header_3_font_size=”24px” header_3_line_height=”1.5em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t just get thrust onto the stage immediately, you train a lot, and I mean a lot,\u201d Yu said. Looking back to his days as an opera student, Mr Yu recalled that the daily routine started at 6am for a full day of lessons, ending with an indefinite period of self-practice until he could no longer stand upright.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI repeated this routine daily for six years and although it was a gruelling period, it was necessary to help me get accustomed to the life of a Chu opera performer,\u201d said Mr Yu with a strong sense of conviction.<\/span><\/p>\n Even though he is now the male lead, Yu continues to place a high emphasis on discipline when it comes to self-training. \u201cThere\u2019s a saying within the Chinese opera community which goes: if you don\u2019t practise for a day only you will know; if you don\u2019t practise for two days your fellow artistes will know; if you don\u2019t practise for three days your audience will know <\/span>(<\/span><\/i>\u4e00\u5929\u4e0d\u7ec3, \u81ea\u5df1\u77e5\u9053, \u4e24\u5929\u4e0d\u7ec3, \u540c\u884c\u4f1a\u77e5\u9053,\u00a0 \u4e09\u5929\u4e0d\u7ec3\uff0c\u89c2\u4f17\u5c31\u4f1a\u77e5\u9053<\/span> )<\/span><\/i>,\u201d Yu said.<\/span><\/p>\n With that in mind, even with performances on the same day, he sets aside three to five hours to train and practise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/hypesingapore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/ywgxql-e1596340588257.jpg” alt=”chu opera wuhan” title_text=”ywgxql” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin=”-35px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” min_height=”43px” custom_margin=”-20px|||||” custom_padding=”0px|||||” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”14px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Yu (right) sharing the stage with veteran Chu opera performer, Xia Qingling (left), performing the Chinese tale classic, The Tea Road<\/span> (<\/span><\/i>\u4e07\u91cc\u8336\u9053<\/span>).<\/span><\/i> Photo courtesy of Yu Wei Gang.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Libre Caslon Text||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” header_3_font=”Montserrat|600||||||#e02b20|” header_3_text_align=”left” header_3_text_color=”#233956″ header_3_font_size=”24px” header_3_line_height=”1.5em” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Earlier this year, Yu participated in China Central Television\u2019s competition programme, Ding Ge Long Dong Qiang <\/span>(<\/span><\/i>\u53ee\u54af\u5499\u549a\u545b<\/span>)<\/span><\/i>, where he performed with famous Taiwanese singer Julia Peng <\/span>(<\/span><\/i>\u5f6d\u4f73\u6167<\/span>)<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Their duets that featured the fusion of Chu opera and pop music left the judges and the audience members in awe of the unique and melodic sounds of Chu opera. Their performances were so impressive that the duo clinched the highest scores during the\u00a0 multiple weeks of competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After the broadcast of the final episode, people from different provinces of China flew down to Wuhan just to watch Yu\u2019s performances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Calling this one of his greatest achievements and most memorable moments, Yu said: \u201cAs a young opera performer, I feel that it\u2019s my duty to spread awareness about Chu opera. Chu opera is a beautiful art form; it just hasn\u2019t earned the recognition it deserves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Yu Wei Gang, 31″ job_title=”Award-winning Chu opera actor” _builder_version=”4.16″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As a young opera performer, I feel that it\u2019s my duty to spread awareness about Chu opera. Chu opera is a beautiful art form; it just hasn\u2019t earned the recognition it deserves.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”Libre Caslon Text||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”2em” header_3_font=”Montserrat|600||||||#e02b20|” header_3_text_align=”left” header_3_text_color=”#233956″ header_3_font_size=”24px” header_3_line_height=”1.5em” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n For those people who flew to Wuhan to watch him perform, Yu gave them free tickets as a gesture of gratitude. To him, the price of the tickets is nothing compared to the price they paid to travel. Their support and newfound love for Chu opera was priceless in his eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n Even with the fame and recognition he has gained in the opera world, it is an ongoing struggle to fulfil his financial commitments and shoulder the responsibility of being a good son, husband and father.<\/span><\/p>\n He said: \u201cIn our trade, it is a fact that we earn less than a middle-income white-collar worker.\u201d Yet this has not fazed him from continuing to stay on the stage which he loves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve dedicated almost half my life to [Chu opera] and I\u2019ll continue striving no matter the adversities I face along the way. I see this as my lifelong career, \u201d Yu affirmed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gone through a lot of emotional and physical turmoil to earn my place as a lead actor. However, it\u2019s all worth it because I want to give my best performance to my audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Yu Wei Gang, 31″ job_title=”Award-winning Chu opera actor” _builder_version=”4.16″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n I\u2019ve gone through a lot of emotional and physical turmoil to earn my place as a lead actor. However, it\u2019s all worth it because I want to give my best performance to my audience.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.16″ transform_scale_tablet=”” transform_scale_phone=”” transform_scale_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_translate_tablet=”” transform_translate_phone=”0px|-51px” transform_translate_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_translate_linked_phone=”off” transform_rotate_tablet=”” transform_rotate_phone=”” transform_rotate_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_skew_tablet=”” transform_skew_phone=”” transform_skew_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_origin_tablet=”” transform_origin_phone=”” transform_origin_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”0px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” transform_styles_tablet=”” transform_styles_phone=”” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#ffffff” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sonia Tan finds out more about Yu Wei Gang and his journey as an opera star in Wuhan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":3384,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[87,95,89,93],"class_list":["post-3378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nptribune","tag-china","tag-chinese-culture","tag-chu-opera","tag-wuhan"],"yoast_head":"\n
SONIA TAN<\/strong><\/p>\nPublished on<\/h5>\n
August 3, 2020<\/h5>\n