"To produce excellent works, artists in the new era must increase their cultural confidence, keep pace with the times, and place the people at the center of their work," said Tian Qinxin, a member of the Standing Committee of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. 

Tian, head of the National Theatre of China, is a national, first-class director. She has directed several works that have recorded ordinary people's lives, and works that have reflected the advancing times. 

Huang Wenxiu, a village cadre, died in 2019, on the front line of China's war against poverty. To produce an opera based on Huang's story, Tian and her crew visited the village where Huang had lived and worked. They were touched as they talked with residents, and as they read Huang's diary entries about her poverty-alleviation work. 

"What we do is build a bridge between the role models and audiences, through arts. Our works will impress audiences, if we stay engaged with the people during our productions," said Tian. 

"It is a good idea to use new quality productive forces in art productions. We should use artificial intelligence technology to help improve our ability to tell Chinese stories," she added.

Photo by Li Shuoxing

(Source: Women of China)