On 1 October 1949, the first five-star red flag, the national flag of the People’s Republic of China, finally rose in the Tiananmen Square. The designer of the national flag was a young man named Zeng Liansong.
"R.A.W!” (Rising Artists’ Works), the youth talents program of the 2021 China Shanghai International Arts Festival opened on 17 October at the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA). “Zeng Liansong and the National Flag”, a drama about an ordinary young man designing a five-star red flag for the new-born republic, became the opening play of “R.A.W!” this year.
"Zeng Liansong and the National Flag”, produced by the Shanghai Theatre Academy, is a major literary and artistic creation project funded by the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation. The play was written by Wang Xingdong, a national first-class screenwriter, and jointly created by teachers and students of STA. The director of the play is Dong Jian, vice dean of the STA College of Film.
The most significant feature of the play is "young". The average age of the teachers and students of the entire cast is less than 30 years old. Most of them are young teachers of STA and students of hosting art major. The joint on-stage performance of young teachers and students is a vivid practice of STA in terms of telling the party story well. And, the two little actors in the play are the children of Meng Cong, a member of the cast, and Dong Jian, director of the play. Such kind of "red inheritance" also adds a different childlike interest to the play.
Opening Play of “R.A.W!” of China Shanghai International Arts Festival
Major Literary and Artistic Project Funded by Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation
Drama: “Zeng Liansong and the National Flag”
Time: 7 pm, 17-18 October
Venue: STA Experimental Theatre
