“In Chinese, “扮相” (Appearance) refers to the stage persona created through makeup and costume. With the right appearance, one can confidently shift identities, transform into a different gender, or travel through time and space to another era.
Wu Opera has existed for 500 years in Zhejiang province, China. Despite its long history, it remains relatively unknown in other parts of the country. In autumn 2024, i visited a private Wu Opera troupe in this region, which also serves as a hub for high-tech, e-commerce, and exports.
The troupe moves from village to village, setting up temporary stages wherever they go. Their performers may arrive in fancy cars and enjoy the attention of online followers on TikTok, but once the makeup and costumes are on, they disappear into characters from stories hundreds of years old.
The Opera is a seemingly dazzling domain yet I find that the opera performers live in the twilight zone between the glamorous and the mundane. They represent a human contrast which fascinates me – the mix between odd and ordinary.”
text by Binghoui Dong and Yu Jing Yi
