“杨花榆荚无才思，惟解漫天作雪飞。”于此暮春时节，初中部全体八年级学生在大剧院上演了 “源之元味” 解读经典杂剧汇演。
At the end of this spring, all Grade 8 students and Chinese language teachers held a traditional drama (Yuan Zaju) festival in SUIS Wanyuan campus.
“凡一代有一代之文学：楚之骚，汉之赋，六代之骈语，唐之诗，宋之词，元之曲，皆所谓一代之文学，而后世莫能继焉者也。”王国维曾在《宋元戏曲考·序》中如此言道。这学期，八年级同学根据语文课程的教学安排，在寒假期间接触了元杂剧，并对其进行了透彻感悟。为了更加深入学习中国传统文化，历时一月有余，八年级元杂剧展示活动于2018年3月30日下午6点拉开帷幕。
Yuan Zaju is a form of Chinese drama or Chinese opera which provides entertainment through a synthesis of recitations of prose and poetry, dance, singing, and mime, with a certain emphasis on comedy (or, happy endings). It’s particularly associated with the time of the Yuan Dynasty, and remains important in terms of the historical study of the theater arts as well as Classical Chinese literature and poetry. According to the Chinese language curriculum, students in Eighth Grade learned the Yuan Zaju last winter, and practiced the play for more than one month. This drama show started at 6 pm, 30th March, 2018.
赵氏孤儿
The Orphan of Zhao
关于人性，关于亲情，关于善恶。一曲悲歌，绝唱千古。灭门与救孤的强烈戏剧冲突，迸发出熠熠的火花。这些赴死的壮士，践行自己对赵氏的“义”。他们忠义而亡，而世间仍有人坚守自己的信仰。一班的同学们很好的演绎了这部剧，为他们的表演点赞！
The play’s full name is “The Great Revenge of the Orphan of Zhao.” The play is classified in the Zaju genre of dramas. It revolves around the central theme of ‘revenge’. The play is divided into six parts, comprising four acts (zhe) and a wedge (xiezi), which may be an interlude or- as it is in this case-or a prologue. It contains both dialogue and songs. The story of The Orphan of Zhao takes place during the Spring and Autumn period. The protagonists are General Han Jue in the first act, and the Orphan Zhao in the final two acts. The Orphan of Zhao is the earliest Chinese play to be known in Europe.
梧桐雨
Rain on the Phoenix Tree
“ 春风桃李花开夜，秋雨梧桐叶落时。” 桃李花，梧桐叶——春秋。唐明皇与杨玉环过往的回忆那么明媚鲜艳，现世的悲苦却黯淡落寞极矣。当安史之乱爆发后，再也不会有人轻唤“三郎”，再也不会有万国来朝。烟花易冷，人事易分，他和她参商永离，生死永诀。三班的表演入木三分。
Wutong Yu (Rain on the Phoenix Tree) tells the love story between the Tang Emperor Minghuang and Lady Yang. It reflects the licentious living of the ruling class and the corruption in politics. The ornate beauty of the songs in this play have always attracted great praise.
梁祝
The Butterfly Lovers
幽静雅致的书院，苍翠挺拔的竹林，白衣书生，秉烛夜读的夜晚，祝英台灵动得一如误入凡尘的精灵，那是真正的青春烂漫，情窦初开，将这个故事物化得更美。半载同窗，二人他们在最美的年华，遇见彼此，没有早一步，也没有晚一步，此而一往而情深。二人约定双飞，来世若再会，还予你双双对对。
The Butterfly Lovers is a Chinese legend of a tragic love story of a pair of lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, whose names form the title of the story. The title is often abbreviated to Liang Zhu. It is one of ‘the Four Great Folklores of China’ and the only one that has earned world acclaim. With a history of 1,460 years, the Butterfly Lovers is known by one and all in China. It’s renowned as ‘the Peak of Classical Love Stories’ and has been taken as the counterpart of Romeo and Juliet. In 2006 it was included into the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
窦娥冤
Snow in Midsummer
千古奇冤，六月飞霜。身逢乱世，民不聊生，官吏无情，百姓无理。那一刻，冤屈，悲凉，愤懑，绝望，尽现于生死之间，奇见六月飞霜，可见千古奇冤，这个女子一生都是为了别人而活，实令人可悲可泣。
Dou E Yuan (The Injustice to Dou E, also known as Snow in Midsummer) is a famous classic tragedy about a woman named Dou E who suffers a miscarriage of justice, the truth of which is only uncovered after she has been put to death.
汉宫秋
Autumn in the Han Palace
那年，是王昭君用生命的不幸震撼了人心，更为可悲的是，她根本不曾有机会反抗，她只得投江自尽，解放自己，奋不顾身地去死。说她为国也好，说她为汉元帝也罢，终究是一场牺牲自己的悲剧。
Han-gong qiu (Autumn in the Han Palace) is about court life. This play deals with the tragic love of Emperor Yuan of the Han dynasty for his concubine Wang Zhaojun. Wang Zhaojun was a palace maid in the first century B.C., who leaves her country to marry the Khan of the Huns to avoid war. Unable to bear this, she drowns herself in a river. The work is a poignant tragedy.
霸王别姬
Farewell My Concubine
末路霸王，迟暮虞姬。“力拔山兮气盖世，时不利兮雅不逝。”气势如虹的《垓下歌》娓娓道来一段关于英雄与美人的故事。尾音婉转，余韵悠长，字字无奈。英雄末路，美人无期，人杰鬼雄，遥不可期。
Farewell My Concubine is a traditional Peking opera. The play tells the story of Xiang Yu, the self-styled ‘Hegemon-King of Western Chu’ who battled for the unification of China with Liu Bang, the eventual founder of the Han Dynasty. In the play, Xiang Yu is surrounded by Liu Bang’s forces and on the verge of total defeat, so he calls forth his horse and begs it to run away for the sake of its own safety. The horse refuses, against his wishes. He then calls for the company of his favorite concubine, Consort Yu. Realizing the dire situation that has befallen them, she begs to die alongside her master, but he strongly refuses this wish. Afterwards, as he is distracted, Yu commits suicide with Xiang Yu’s sword.
八年级同学所付出的所有努力已经结成果实，终是未负所有人的辛苦耕耘。中华历史之滔滔，所有人都在那里浅吟低唱，终于使那中华文化在浪淘沙尽后熠熠生辉。那些念念不忘的名字，浮想联翩的梦境，有许多让人流连忘返的画面。即使动荡再大、岁月再长，也无法让那些诗意文化黯淡。所以，千年以后，我们还能循着那远古的杂剧，看岁月缱绻，诗酒年华。感谢八年级的老师们给予我们的指导和帮助，感谢我们同学彼此的分担和合作，感谢每一位为我们的付出鼓掌的观众，我们会继续努力，学习更多的中华民族之经典。
As a gem of Chinese civilization, Yuan Zaju integrates history, literature, music, dancing, handcrafts and martial arts. The students and teachers would like to thank the audience for their support as they continue to learn more about Chinese culture.
