In a dark and ruthless Beijing, Xiang Zi undertakes a painful journey to freedom. He dreams to own a rickshaw in order to liberate himseld to the bonds of master Liu Sye and hopes for a future with his beloved Xiao Fuzi. But fate has other plans for the rickshaw boy. From the novel by Lao She, the work of the composer Guo Wenjing, which has been commissioned by the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, where the opera made his debut in June 2014, now on the stage of the Opera di Firenze.
Luotuo Xiang zi (Rickshaw boy)
Opera in two acts
Music by Guo Wenjing
Libretto by Xu Ying from the novel by Lao She (1937)
Artists
Conductor
Zhang Guoyong
Director / Scenes
Yi Liming
Costumes
A’kuan
Light Design
Wang Qi
Xiang Zi
Han Peng/Jin Zhengjian
Hu Niu
Sun Xiuwei/Zhou Xiaolin
Xiao Fuzi
Song Yuanming/Li Xintong
Liu Siye
Tian Haojiang /Guan Zhijing
Er Gianzxi
Sun Li/Wang Hexiang
Sun Zhentan
Liang Yufeng
Rickshaw boy 1
Yang Guangmeng
Rickshaw boy 2
Liu Yang
Rickshaw boy 3
Chen Ran
Rickshaw boy 4
Yang Shuai
Gao's mother
Wang Zhihua
Maid
Wang Rongrong
Guest
Chen Shoukui
Policemen
Xu Da
Xiangzi, a robust and strong rickshaw puller, whose greatest ambition is to one day own his own rickshaw rental agency, works very hard, saves every penny he makes and finally buys a new rickshaw after three-year's painstaking efforts. Unfortunately, his new rickshaw is abducted by soldiers who are fighting for one of the warlords running Beijing in the 1920s. In great grief and indignation, Xiangzi has to go back to the rickshaw rental agency of Master Liu, trying to stage a comeback which is interrupted by Master Liu's daughter Huniu who seduces Xiangzi after getting him drunk. In order to get rid of Huniu, he runs away to work as a rickshaw puller for a scholar, Mr. Cao. However, his plan for saving to buy a new rickshaw is destroyed again when Detective Sun follows him home and robs him of all his savings. At this time, Huniu tracks him down, and Xaingzi has no choice but to go back again to the rickshaw rental agency of Master Liu. On the birthday party of Master Liu, Huniu falls out with his father and tricks Xiangzi into marriage by pretending to be pregnant, and they leave the agency together. He buys a new rickshaw with Huniu's money, but in a short while later, he has to sell it to bury Huniu who dies of dystocia. Finally, his dream and ambition are smashed completely when his beloved woman Xiaofuzi commits suicide under the humiliation-stricken life. At last, Xiangzi, an honest and pure young peasant surrenders to the dark society and finishes his short life from a positive and unflinching man to degeneration.