Modern Peking Opera 'The Xi'an Incident' Staged at CWU

The China National Peking Opera Company (CNPOC) performed The Xi'an Incident, a modern version of the famous art form, at China Women's University (CWU) on April, 5.

All CWU faculty members and many of the students watched the performance. Li Mingshun, Chairperson of the CWU Council, delivered a speech before the show, and highly affirmed the ideological depth and artistic height of Peking Opera. He further identified the role of traditional culture in showing the way to mainstream fashion, serving society, and promoting the development of soft power.

Wei Liyun, deputy secretary of the CNPOC Party Committee, spoke at the event, and gave out signed photographs by Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu, famous opera stars in China.

Peking Opera brings together the soul of a variety of types of Chinese drama, and is well-known as the quintessential form of national culture. The Xi'an Incident portrays the complicated twists of fate, character study, and family disputes of Zhang Xueliang (a great patriot in China's modern history), Yang Hucheng (an anti-Japanese patriotic military leader in China's modern history), and Chiang Kai-shek (general of the Kuomintang in China's modern history).

The opera tells the history of Zhang and Yang, who launched the Xi'an Incident by military action, the detention of Chiang in Huaqingchi, and the imprisonment of more than 10 people including Chen Cheng. At the critical moment of the Chinese nation, Zhou Enlai and other Party members successfully persuade Zhang and Yang, promoting the re-cooperation of the Communist Party of China and the Kuomintang, and finally establish the anti-Japanese National United Front in the northeast China.

During the show, the artists skillfully portrayed the features and advantages of Peking Opera. They drew on the artistic achievements of modern opera, giving greater attention to individuals' inner character. Combined with live music, splendid stage design, and traditional costume, the artists delivered a wonderful performance.

After the show, Li sincerely thanked the CNPOC artists for their superb acting, and said that the event provided a platform for CWU teachers and students to experience the beauty of art.

As part of the series Elegant Art Into Campus, the event aimed to improve students' aesthetic accomplishment, shape healthy personalities, and foster noble sentiments. It not only offered students learning opportunities about artistic practice, but also promoted their comprehensive development, organizers said.

(Source: China Women's University/Translated and edited by Women of China)