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Torch Troupes

Xu Xin

Release year: 2006

Run time: 110 mins

Film type: Documentary

Synopsis

Despite some 300 years of history, Sichuan Opera is now an endangered art. Though they survived the Cultural Revolution, in the era of capitalism state-sponsored opera troupes face extinction. Opera master Li Baoting began singing at eight years old, but now performs pop songs with showgirls in bars. His colleague Wang Bin still performs in travelling tents, in an attempt find ways to resist the death of this artform.

 

Director biography

Xu Xin was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, in 1966. He is an independent documentary filmmaker based in Beijing and Nanjing. In his early years, he experimented with oil paintings and photography. His documentaries focus on marginalized communities in China.