Swede acts on passion for Peking Opera

Peking Opera has been a game changer for Swedish actor Timothy Pilotti, which led him to China and shaped his passion for cultural exchanges.

The connection between the 37-year-old actor and Peking Opera began with a childhood love for films starring Jackie Chan, who studied Peking Opera when he was young.

"His films blended a lot of acrobatics, rhythm and comedy into the fight scenes. It's not just about defeating someone — it's about telling a story and creatively fighting," Pilotti says.

Unlike kung fu, which is primarily a martial art, Peking Opera caught his attention as a theatrical form designed for the stage with a unique, stylized approach to movement and combat.

Pilotti decided to become an actor at an early age, studying at acting schools and majoring in physical theater at a Finnish university.

The university required students to study a traditional theater form abroad on an exchange program during the third year, which became his first opportunity to study Peking Opera in China.

"Some of my classmates went to India, for example, but my dream was to go to China — it was a no-brainer," he says.

In 2009, he and two other students arrived at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing to study Peking Opera for six months.

Although he had no Chinese language skills or background in Peking Opera, teachers from the academy helped him grasp the essence of the performing art form through rigorous teaching and setting high standards.

"We come from a physical theater background, so our strength is good. We are good at splits and somersaults, and our minds and discipline are strong," he says.

During that time, the first performance they rehearsed was Sanchakou (The Crossroads Inn), a classic Peking Opera piece where a general and an innkeeper fight each other in a pitch-black room. With meticulous choreography, the performers mimic feeling each other's positions as if it's dark and perform many humorous, thrilling movements.

The general is a wusheng (martial arts male role) and the innkeeper is a wuchou (martial arts clown).Because of Pilotti's interest in playing a comedic role and his somersault skills, he played the innkeeper and began training to perform the wuchou character.

In 2010 and 2014, he returned to the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts to continue studying Peking Opera, which he later merged into his original productions in Sweden.

Traditional Chinese stories inspire him. He has created two theater pieces in recent years — a story about the Monkey King, the omnipotent character from the novel Journey to the West; and Jingwei, a mythological character who drowns and turns into a bird, determined to fill the sea.

In The Monkey King, Pilotti embodies the character's agile and mischievous characteristics through Peking Opera movements, inspiring his young audience members to be themselves.

"The show has been really successful. Because it's a children's show, we can introduce the Monkey King to Swedish kids, which we did in 2022 and are still performing. We've performed over 150 times and people are still coming," he says.

"The Monkey King is a famous character with many adaptations, so the kids already know a bit about him. But, when they can see the character up close in the show, it can be a surprise."

Apart from merging Peking Opera elements with Western physical theater, Pilotti also attracts children by interacting with them during the show. After almost every show, he hosts a small workshop to teach the children some of the movements.

In addition to theater productions, he has been working as a cultural envoy between China and Sweden, performing Peking Opera on variety shows, appearing in online videos, and giving speeches at forums as a young Sinologist.

"My dream now is to do more cultural exchanges and maybe create a show where Chinese Peking Opera and Swedish actors perform together," he says.

Pilotti shares his work on his social media platforms, with many followers expressing awe at his performance and commending his efforts in promoting traditional Chinese culture.

"The fusion of Eastern and Western cultures is reflected in Pilotti's every move. A Swede falls in love with Chinese traditions, becoming an ambassador of cultural exchange," one of the comments reads.

"I'll learn from Pilotti and put effort into training. After all, 'one minute on stage requires 10 years of hard work behind the scenes'."