Cultural researchers will use modern computer technologies to set up a national audio and video database of traditional operas.

The news was announced at a four-day conference that opened yesterday and is being attended by the Chinese Academy of Arts and provincial-level art research institutes from across the country.

The initiative aims to preserve the nation's traditional operas, according to Wang Wenzhang, president of the academy.

Rapid globalization and interest in foreign cultures have caused unprecedented challenges to the survival of Chinese traditional opera, evidenced by more and more of them vanishing, said Wang.

There were 367 types of traditional opera in China at the end of 1950s, but the number has dropped dramatically to 267, and some are now extinct.

"If we do not take practical measures to preserve the traditional operas still alive, some of them will disappear very soon," said Liu Wenfeng, deputy director of the research institute of traditional Chinese operas at the academy.

Liu, who is in charge of the project, said the academy is planning to spend one and half years in setting up the database. It will include repertoires of traditional opera troupes as well as masterpieces by famous performers.

The academy has so far collected more than 40,000 gramophone records, 15,000 hours of audio recordings and 2,000 hours of video recordings.

"However, what the academy has includes only those materials related to major forms, such as Peking Opera and Kunqu," said Liu, adding that those traditional operas popular among small populations of audiences are not included.

"That is why we ask provincial-level art research institutes to take part in the project so that more local operas can be found and included in the database," said Liu.

Thanks to modern computer technology, these materials can be digitized and published on the internet, he said.

Once the database is established, all materials will be available online. "Such practice will be conducive to promoting academic exchange between Chinese and overseas researchers," Liu added.

(China Daily January 24, 2005)