UK Happenings

UK Confucius Institute Welcomes Shanghai University's Osmanthus Fragrance Rain Show to the Bluegrass

of
photo of Shanghai University's Osmanthus Fragrance Rain Show
photo of Shanghai University's Osmanthus Fragrance Rain Show

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 29, 2017) Dive into traditional Chinese culture and become a part of a beautiful story while experiencing music played on traditional Chinese musical instruments at the Osmanthus Fragrance Rain Show. Hosted by the University of Kentucky Confucius Institute (UKCI), the show will begin 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, at the Singletary Center for the Arts. The Osmanthus Fragrance Rain Show is free and open to the public. 

The show originates from the Southern Song Dynasty and tells the story of the destruction of a music band and the growth of heroine. The music pieces in the show will be performed using instruments including the erhu, bamboo lute, guzheng and guqin or pipa. 

Osmanthus Fragrance Rain, performed by current students at Shanghai University, first debuted in April 2015 in the XuJiahui Culture Center in Shanghai, China. The show received recommendations to participate in the 12th annual College Student Drama Festival, where it placed second.

This is not the first university student performed show that UK Confucius Institute has hosted. In previous years, performances have included Inner Mongolian flavored dance and music, as well as dance and music shows from Yangzhou University, Hu Bei University and Shanghai University. What makes this year’s show different is that it features a beautiful Chinese story performed in the theatre.

“We hope to enrich campus and community life and at the same time enhance the dialogues in art between the two cultures,” said Huajing Maske, director of UK Confucius Institute. “While the Chinese troupe is at UK, we hope to engage the UK theatre and dance department in masterclasses and presentations. At the same time the show will be brought to the UKCI’s affiliated K-12 schools.”  

The show will give the audience an authentic experience and insight into the history of traditional Chinese culture.

For questions and more information contact Lina Yu at lina.yu@uky.edu.

A gateway for Chinese language, culture and art to the people of Kentucky, UK Confucius Institute provides leadership, support and coordination for Chinese language and programs in K-12 schools as well as on UK's campus; assists and facilitates establishing and maintaining faculty and student exchanges between UK colleges and Chinese universities; conducts Chinese language and cultural exchange; and promotes education about China on campus, across the Bluegrass region, and throughout the Commonwealth. To keep up with UK Confucius Institute and future events, join the institute's listerv and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat (UKConfucius).