29 September 2019
The National Commendation Conference for National Unity and Progress was held in Beijing on the morning of 27 September. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, president of the People’s Republic of China, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the conference and delivered an important speech. The conference was presided over by Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council.
The conference commended the national model groups and model individuals for national unity and progress, totaling 665 model groups and 812 model individuals. Among them, the Acting Department of the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) won the title of national model group for national unity and progress. Xi Jinping and other leaders presented the awards to the representatives of the model groups and model individuals. Wang Xueming, Secretary of the Party branch of STA's Acting department, had the honor to attend the conference and received the award on behalf of STA.
Since its establishment, STA has trained the first generation of dramatists in Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other ethnic minority areas, and made important contributions to promoting China's cultural cause. In STA’s history, it has been honored with title of "Advanced Unit for National Unity and Progress" issued by the State Council for three times.
Since the establishment of the first Tibetan acting class in 1959, STA has successively run five acting classes, three stage design classes and one directing class for Tibet, training more than 300 Tibetan literary and art talents in total. In 2015, the drama "Common Home" created by the Tibet Autonomous Region Drama Troupe was staged as a production paying tribute to the 70 year anniversary of the founding of STA, and won prolonged applause and high praise in STA, the Alma Mater. In 1986, the students of the first Inner Mongolia class staged "Black Steed" as its graduation performance, which is now still well-known in China's drama circle; In 2012, the large-scale drama "The children of the Country" performed by the students of the second Inner Mongolia class toured around the country for many times, and won the Excellent Program Award of the professional group at the 3rd China Campus Drama Festival. In addition, STA has also cultivated a large number of outstanding cultural and artistic talents for Xinjiang, Yunnan and other ethnic minority areas, who have been active in film, television and drama on an ongoing basis, making their joint efforts to promote national unity and progress.
