The Peony Pavilio

There are few better ways to spend an evening in Hangzhou than in the elegant environs of Yu Le Tang，where you can en joy some fine-dining and watch the famed Kunqu opera”The Peony Pavilion”in one of the city’s most attractive historical blocks.

Sitting unassumingly on a particularly handsome block on Zhongshan Middle Road，this elegant theater is compact，but don’t let its diminutive size put you off as，like they say，sometimes the best things come in small packages.Decked out in antique Chinese furniture and a smattering of expensive-looking ceramics，the venue’s dimly lit dining room一which the main entrance spills into-is the picture of class and mystifying grace.

Surrounded by cultural artifacts and motifs from the era in which the opera is set，there is no better environment in which to immerse yourself in the Southern Song Dynasty’s unique beauty and romantic charm-and the food isn’t half bad either.

“”The Peony Pavilion”was particularly popular during the Ming Dynasty and was penned by Tang Xianzu，who was the Ming court’s official playwright.Without spoiling the story too much，the opera centers on the 16-year-old Du Liniang’s phantasmagorical love affair with young scholar Liu Mengmei.After falling in love with the young man（who she has never actually met）in a vivid dream，the maiden becomes lovesick and develops an unhealthy obsession with her nocturnal tryst.Falling severely ill，the girl dies from a broken heart，only to be brought back to life by the lord of the underworld after visiting and bewitching the young scholar in his dreams.

Even for the opera novices out there，it’s hard not to be completely swept away by this highly intoxicating experience，and the atmosphere conjured up by the actors，the musicians，and the wonderful set design is so thick you could cut it with a knife.Each and every scene bursts with an emotional intensity that is，at times，unbearably powerful；the way the story slips between the interlocked realms of the afterlife and the living is occasionally very haunting.Handily，TV screens are installed along the theatre’s aisle to translate the action into English，so each and every whisper and bellow can better penetrate your very soul.The small group of musicians who accompany the play-all dressed in traditional garb and clutching unusual looking Eastern instruments-also impress with their delicate playing and nuanced musical sensitivity.All in all，this epic tale of ethereal romance，reincarnation，and bittersweet love is something that will stay with you long after the final curtain falls.

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