5 October 2019
On the evening of3October,thePeking Opera "Mu Guiying Takes Command", a major production presented by the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) as a gift to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of thePeople's Republic of China, was staged brilliantly at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Zhou Huilin, member of the Standing Committee and director-general of the Publicity Department of the CPC ShanghaiMunicipalCommittee, Gong Xueping, former president of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress, Li Yiping, vice chairman of the CPPCC Shanghai Municipal Committee, Lu Jing, director-general of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission,andXue Mingyang, former director-general of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission,as well asXie Wei, Huang Changyong, ZhouYin'e, Yang Yang and Liu Qing, leaders ofSTA, attended theperformance. The Shanghai Grand Theatrewas fully seated,and was filled with music and applause.
The Peking Opera “Mu GuiyingTakes Command”is a major projectof literary and art creation financiallysupportedtheby Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation. Ithas been produced by STA, with the participation oftheSTACollege of Chinese Traditional Operaand the Shanghai YouthPeking Opera and Kun Opera Troupe. The opera was performed by Peking Opera masters such asfamous PekingOpera artists Li Peihong from the Cheng school andChen Shaoyun from the Qi school, as well as outstanding young actors fromtheShanghai YouthPekingOpera and Kun Opera Troupe, whileYang Nailin, a professor from the Central Conservatory of music, wasappointed as the composerand Bai Yunming as the director, presenting a galaxy offamous artists and a wonderful performance.
In 1959, on the 10th anniversary of the founding ofNew China, “Mu Guiying Takes Command”was adapted intoaPeking Opera productionstarring Mei Lanfang, which promoted the development of Mei school art in Peking Opera. Ten years ago, in 2009, in order to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the foundingof New China,and to participate in the 11thChinaShanghai International Arts Festival, the then Chinese Traditional Opera School affiliated to Shanghai Theatre Academytogether withtheShanghai Institute ofVisualArt of Fudan University at rehearsed the newly adapted play"Mu Guiying Takes Command" in Cheng school starring Li Peihong, aCheng school performing artist, with the support of MrMei Baojiu,thefamous PekingOpera performing artist. The play premiered successfully intheShanghai Grand Theatre on5 and 6November 2009. Ten years later, on3October 2019, Li Peihong, as the dean of theSTA College of Chinese Traditional Opera, once again put on the costumes to perform “Mu Guiying Takes Command”, theclassic play of Cheng school.
In terms of training young Peking Opera actors, this Chengschool editionof“Muguiying Takes Command”made great efforts to promote the education and teaching ofChinese traditionaloperathrough suchinitiatives as famous experts providing guidance, teachers and students performing on the same stage, and "teaching plays and cultivating people".
In this performance,in addition tofamous artists participating in the performance, ayouth version performed by Group B was also created, in which the main rolesbeingplayed by the young teachers and students of theCollege of Chinese Traditional Opera, and the focus was mainlyput onrehearsing the youth version of "Mu GuiyingTakes Command". Through the performance practice of the optimized combination of the two generations of actors, the play was better inherited and carried forward, and the young actors were better trained anddeveloped in the same performance with the famous artists, thus promoting the inheritance and development of Peking opera art.
As a production paying tribute to and in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the play is a vivid embodiment of the community spirit and the feelings of home and country of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, which adds a thick and heavy stroke of color to the construction of Shanghai’s cultural brand.
