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[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Sanqingyuan Theater, the home of Beijing Opera for 220 years, has been rebuilt. It opened in Dazhalan, Beijing, on August 18, announcing it will stage Beijing Opera and cooperate with Qilin Theater on adaptations of old plays to increase Beijing Opera's influence.
Dazhalan is the oldest business district in Beijing and has many famous buildings with long histories. One of them is the Sanqingyuan Theatre, home to Beijing Opera. It has stood in the area since the Qing dynasty.
In 1790, salt merchant Jiang Heting organized the group Sanqingban to play Hui Opera for the 80th birthday of the Emperor Qianlong. Sanqingban, combining Hui Opera with Beijing's traditions, became popular with people of all classes. In 1796, the group opened the Sanqingyuan Theater.
By the end of the Qing dynasty, Dazhalan had more than 30 theaters, including Sanqingyuan, and many great actors and actresses, such as Mei Lanfang, Cheng Yanqiu and Shang Xiaoyun, gathered there. For example, Cheng Yanqiu's classic works were first shown in Sanqingyuan and Shang Xiaoyun produced his dramas there for nearly 20 years.
However, Sanqingyuan, along with many other theaters, suffered a fire on June 15, 1900. In 1905, the ruined theater was rebuilt as a movie house. But, having been closed in 1950 because it had been out of repair for many years, it was finally demolished in 1972.
Even though the Sanqingyuan Theater was gone, it was still important in the history of Beijing Opera. To increase the influence of this cultural brand, Dazhalan set up a Sanqingyuan culture development corporation in 2009, which ever since has been holding activities and shows for Beijing Opera fans.
The company's chairman, Li Yongsheng, said that he wants to raise people's awareness of the need to protect Chinese cultural heritage and culture.
