Two performers stage an errenzhuan show at a theater in Tieling.

You Liang will do just about anything to grab an audience's attention - perform flips, croon pop songs and impersonate famous Chinese comedians.

If the 26-year-old isn't satisfied with the crowd's reception, he'll dash into the audience and, as if he were among them, cheer for his own show, belting out: "Bravo! Please, give us more!"

"The audience's applause means everything to me," says the performer of errenzhuan, a two-member song-and-dance routine from northeastern China.

About 10 minutes into his set, he is joined by his wife and stage partner Qu Minghui for a few duet performances of northeastern folk songs. The musical form is an acquired taste, often sounding like tormented howling to first-timers and angelic melodies to those accustomed to it.

Throughout the show, You and Qu poke fun at people, including one another and their parents, but it's all in jest.

By the end of his half-hour-long performance, You is dripping with sweat.

As the opening act, You and his wife must work extra hard to hold their audience. Shows at a local theater in Tieling, two hours' drive from Liaoning's provincial capital Shenyang, begin at 7 pm, but many regular theatergoers don't show up until around the third act.

The theater was once a cinema that stopped showing films for lack of ticket sales. But once it started hosting errenzhuan shows, business began booming.

You Liang performs every night, and rarely takes a break all year, except for during the Spring Festival. He has to do without a backstage dressing room and instead gets ready with other performers in a small meeting room. After putting on his makeup, he runs to a Buddha statue perched on a wooden shelf behind the screen and says a quick prayer before taking to the stage.

Historical legacy

Errenzhuan (also called "Beng Beng") has a history spanning more than 300 years. Historical documents suggest its creators fused northeastern folk songs with yangge - a rural folk dance - and operas.

Its practitioners would tour rural areas, not only entertaining those dwelling in isolated settlements but also bringing them news from the outside world.

Until 1955, women didn't participate in errenzhuan, so men would oftentimes have to dress as women for performances.

This unique folk art began surging in popularity about a decade ago through the efforts of Zhao Benshan, known as "The King of China's Short Plays".

The former errenzhuan actor won far-reaching acclaim in the late 1990s when he performed comedic skits for CCTV's Spring Festival gala show.

In 2001, the Tieling native launched errenzhuan competitions in Liaoning to further popularize the folk art.

Errenzhuan performer You Liang and his wife and stage partner Qu Minghui.

He also directed and stared in Liu Laogen, a TV sitcom about rural life. A score of errenzhuan actors and actresses played roles in the series, which rapidly won nationwide popularity.

Today, while many regional operas are struggling to survive in the increasingly competitive entertainment market, errenzhuan is winning even more hearts and minds throughout China. In the Northeast, it's difficult to even book tickets to a performance.

All theaters in Shenyang are fully booked every night. Most audience members are locals, but many have driven hundreds of miles from far-flung rural areas to catch a show.

Toy clappers are distributed among the crowds to spare them from numb hands; the floor is scattered with broken ones after every show.

Tieling Folk Art Ensemble (TFAE) Director Zhao Xiu believes much of the art form's appeal comes from its regionalism.

"Errenzhuan is part of the root of people from the Northeast," Zhao says.

"Unlike Peking opera, the art form hasn't been formalized. It lacks scripts and costumes, and constantly changes subject matter; that's why people enjoy it so much."

A tough act

But it's a tough task for errenzhuan performers to constantly concoct new quips and keep up with the latest pop songs.

"We are not only performers, but also scriptwriters," Qu says. "It requires us to keep learning and updating; otherwise, we will be overtaken by the competition."

The 24-year-old and her husband spend at least half an hour every day searching online for new material, and then they have to learn the emergent songs as soon as possible, so they are incorporated into their performances in a timely fashion.

Most shows involve about five or six performers. Some of the more popular actors rush from one theater to another, giving several performances at several venues every night. Others, such as Qu and You, must stick around until the curtain drops. They eat dinner in the middle of the night.

"Life is pretty boring for us, because we can't live like ordinary people," Qu says. "But I love this job so much, because when I'm onstage, I feel like a star."

For their shows, the couple earn about 500 yuan ($66.7) a night.

But unlike the husband and wife team, TFAE actor Zhao Bo has had more opportunities to travel around the country.

The ensemble of more than 100 professional performers stages about 100 shows annually, and 70 percent of them run in other provinces, such as Hebei, Guangdong and Yunnan.

"It's a high-pressure job, because it requires a multitude of talents, and everyone should have at least one unrivaled skill," the 28-year-old says.

While many people refer to errenzhuan as being of crude taste, Zhao Bo disagrees. "As long as the public loves it, I consider it an art form," he says.

(China Daily)