Difficult path
Fanchuan is jargon in Chinese traditional opera referring to the change of roles inside a type of drama, but now it is generally used to refer to cross-gender performances, men playing women or the opposite. It is a newborn form of art and remains controversial in spite of its popularity.
Hu Wenge gave the first known fanchuan performance in 1986. Hu later turned to Peking Opera and became the disciple of Mei Baojiu, son of Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous Peking Opera artists in history.
"In the 1990s these performers were rather despised. People regarded them as abnormal and even said they were lady-boys," said Tang. He added that Li is lucky to have emerged at a time when grass-roots stars are widely promoted and the society is more inclusive.
But that doesn't mean it's been a smooth path. Behind every successful performer are years of hardship and pain, because this form of art is not yet accepted as mainstream. Performers experience resistance from families, friends and society. They have to fight on their own all they way to clear all kinds of hurdles, both psychologically and financially.
Yang Yunge, a 27-year-old from Jilin Province, has performed fanchuan since 2000. "10 years ago, people were repulsed by our performance," Yang told the Global Times, "and we were excluded by mainstream counterparts. Every fanchuan performer has experienced extraordinary hardship."
Yang's parents were opera actors, but his father strongly opposed him performing fanchuan, saying it was not traditional, not recognized and without prospect. "My relatives and friends also thought it was nothing serious," he said. He used to have a girlfriend but they broke up after her mother discovered he was a fanchuan performer.
Even Li Yugang experienced criticism and doubts. Knowing how they would react, Li did not tell his family what he was doing for eight years.
Li once confessed that he feels frustration and hurt by all the criticism. There is still discrimination from conservative people in spite of the fact that he has been recognized by mainstream culture.
Tang told the Global Times that, besides social acceptance, the prejudice against fanchuan performers is also because most started their career in small bars to earn a livelihood and some used vulgarity to gain attention - a tactic that affected the overall image of fanchuan.
Unsure future
Fanchuan performers are usually mixed with nandan (men who play woman characters) in Peking Opera, because the former is kind of a derivative from the latter.
"The performance pattern of nandan is fixed on stage. 100 nandan play one role exactly the same, while 100 fanchuan present 100 types of one role. It is more flexible and variable," Yang explained.
In 2007, Yang became the first fanchuan performer on the stage of Vienna's Golden Hall. He also produced his first original song recently, a performance of which is said to be planned for CCTV's 2013 Spring Festival Gala.
Yang said he is optimistic about his future development, as long as he continues to make efforts. He hopes fanchuan performance will get more diversified and acceptable, but he noticed the industry lacks innovation and regulation. Now every performer is fighting separately in a commercial environment. And many people are joining the field with low quality performances.
Tang agreed. He saw Li Yugang's performance and said it is outstanding and could reflect Chinese traditional culture when taken abroad. "But people will get tired of the repeated waving of ribbons, singing women's songs and charming make-up," he said, "There should be constant innovation in their performances."
Li told media recently that he seems to have hit a bottleneck in his creativity, adding that it is not due to exhaustion of inspiration but too much inspiration and he doesn't know how to let the best flow out.
To Tang, Li is caught between being a star and an artist. "His performance, though splendid, lacks consistency and is like a rich brew of all kinds of art," said Tang, "If fanchuan wants to be of artistic value and endure, it needs to develop systemically, forming its stable characteristic and even theory."
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