"The chance to shout 'bravo' makes me like Peking Opera better than Western symphonies," said Cheng Huaxin, a retired newspaper editor.

"In a concert I must be seated straight with my hands on my knees, but here I can clap my hands and have tea whenever I want to," said Cheng who is also a piaoyou -- a Peking Opera fan who can also perform the elaborate pieces.

Every Saturday afternoon Cheng goes to Zhengyici in southern Beijing, takes his seat at one of the wooden tables, watches other fans and some professionals performing on the grand three-story wooden stage, and occasionally plays the jinghu (Peking Opera fiddle) himself.

A thin man was preparing tea for the audience. Smiles unfolded his wrinkled face as the music ended and a greater wave of "bravos" reverberated around the theatre. During the cheering he selected a few baskets of plastic flowers from beside the stage and, with great enthusiasm, presented the flowers to the performers.

The man, called Zhao Shuangwu, is a retired technician. He has been organizing activities for the fans from his limited pension for 12 years and set up, in 1991, the non-profit-making organization Peking Opera Fans' Home, which is open to all devotees of the unique art form.

But Zhao now faces a major problem -- he must find another place to host their weekly gathering, because the theatre is to receive a facelift.

"In 12 years we have moved to five places, but it's such a great pleasure to see people enjoying so much what we enjoy. We will keep on," said the pensioner.

"We have been helped by Peking Opera fans around the country," he added.

Peking Opera Addict

Zhao lives with his wife, Zhao Lan, in a siheyuan (quadrangle compound) surrounded by many hutong (alleyway) households in the south of Beijing. They share their home with two small parrots, which fly freely around their single-story house which covers less than 20 square meters.

The television is always on during the day, tuned to broadcasts of Peking Operas.

"Peking Opera is like a drug to any true fans like us," said Zhao Shuangwu. "I want to sing whenever I hear the sound of the jinghu."

Zhao, 66, was the son of a craftsman who painted colorful flowers, birds and figures on traditional Chinese architecture.

"Everyday in my childhood I wished it would rain in Beijing. When it rained my father would stop working, take me to the old Jixiang (Luck) Theatre in Wangfujing, buy the cheapest tickets, and we could enjoy performances of great artists such as Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) and Ma Lianliang (1901-66)," Zhao recalled.

When he grew up Zhao followed in his father's footsteps, working as a craftsman for the real estate administration of Xuanwu District in Beijing. In the 1950s he met his bride-to-be, Zhao Lan, who was employed in a button factory.

The couple were kindred spirits when it came to Peking Opera. Since early childhood Zhao Lan had displayed a natural talent for performing the art, but her parents refused to allow her to pursue a career as a singer. "No good, respectable family would allow their daughters to sing the opera, a feudal notion," she explained.

But secretly Zhao Lan learnt to sing parts of the opera, and even performed for several years with a private troupe during the 1950s.

After their marriage Zhao Lan's dream of performing was almost forgotten until their son, Zhao Yu, began learning to play the jinghu.

"The boy practiced playing the instrument every day while I sang, and we recorded the collaboration. One day he sent his teacher a tape, and the teacher said: 'Your mother is so talented,'" Zhao Lan proudly recalled. "I almost cried when I heard the remark."

The couple are tremendously proud that their son went on to become a professional performer with the renowned Fenglei Peking Opera Troupe, and their grand-daughter, Zhao Chaoran, is today studying at a Peking Opera school in Beijing.

Stage in House

"Our family often performed the operas together, and piaoyou from around the city came to our house and performed with us," said Zhao Shuangwu.

On many evenings the Zhaos' small home thronged with a dozen fans, who had to "queue single file to get out" when the recital ended.

"Then we thought of organizing a 'home' for the fans. There were few stages in Beijing where the piaoyou could perform," said Zhao Shuangwu.

"The major theatres in the city often had only the parts of Peking Opera plays in which the Monkey King kept looping the loop, in order to entertain foreign visitors. We don't like it and we want something we like," he said.

In 1991 the couple and Xi Yanqi, a famous piaoyou in Beijing, borrowed a house beside the Shichahai Lake in downtown Beijing and established the Peking Opera Fans' Home. At weekends dozens, and even hundreds of fans came, learned and performed operas.

A year later the "home" had to move because it obviously brought in no money to pay rent. After moving several times, Zhao Shuangwu decided in 1997 to rent the Zhengyici Theatre each Saturday afternoon.

"It's a fan's dream to get on the ancient stage of Zhengyici," he said.

"Every Saturday afternoon professional bands are invited to accompany the piaoyou, and famous opera actors and actresses come to perform and to teach," said Ma Yuhong, a film actress and Peking Opera fan who works on a voluntary basis for the "home."

"We perform here voluntarily. It's really difficult for performers to find such professional fans -- they are very familiar with both the operas and our styles, and they are able to point out our mistakes and suggest improvements," said Liu Shanli, famous actress of the Peking Opera Troupe.

Zhao Shuangwu has to pay about 850 yuan (US$110) every week for the weekend activity, but returns from the low-price tickets are often less than 500 yuan (US$60). The shortfall is met from his 1,500 yuan (US$180) a month pension, almost all of which goes on financing the "home."

"Most fans here are pensioners, and many of them have less income than we do. We cannot expect to earn money from them," said Zhao Lan.

"Many fans are helping us. We are satisfied with the simple life, and we can cover our living expenses," she said.

Zhao Shuangwu added, "You really have to find someone with common interests in your life. You see, my wife supports me even if I keep losing money."

(China Daily April 14, 2003)