Chinese Opera has always accompanied the development of Chinese cinema for over a century, with the stories, performances and music of Chinese opera deeply embedded in the veins of Chinese films. Supported by the Shanghai Cultural Development Foundation, the Seminar on "Research on Chinese Opera Films in the New Era" and Teng Junjie’s Chinese Opera Films, jointly organized by the Shanghai Film Critics Society, the Shanghai Filmmakers Association, and the Film School of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, was grandly held on 25 May 2024, at the Huashan Road Campus of the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
The opening ceremony of the forum was hosted by Professor Huang Wangli of the College of Film at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Speeches were delivered by leaders and guests as well as representatives of the organizers, including Teng Junjie, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Professor Nie Wei, Vice President of the Shanghai Theatre Academy; Zhu Feng, President of the Shanghai Film Critics Society; Li Xiaojun, Secretary-General and Executive Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Filmmakers Association; Hu Xiaojun, Secretary-General and Executive Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Literary and Art Critics Association; and Professor Li Zhenlin, Dean of the College of Film School at the Shanghai Theatre Academy.
During the keynote speech session of the forum, experts, scholars and postgraduate students from various universities in the Yangtze River Delta region engaged in a lively discussion on the high-quality development of Chinese opera films in the new era. They focused on the theoretical and practical aspects of Teng Junjie's opera films, exploring from three dimensions: historical evolution, modernized transformation, and technological integration.This conference emphasized the development and innovation of Chinese opera films in the new era, highlighting the significant status and outstanding contributions of Teng Junjie's Chinese opera films in Shanghai's film production. The discussions centered on the unique position of Chinese opera films at the intersection of tradition and modernity, exploring innovative ways to combine traditional and cinematic arts. It was proposed that Teng Junjie's opera films demonstrate the necessity of integrating elements of Chinese opera into modern film production and the importance of adapting to contemporary demands to achieve a blend of tradition and modernity. Additionally, the role of Chinese opera films in cultural inheritance and exchange was emphasized, along with an outlook on their future development trends.
At the end of the conference, Director Teng Junjie expressed his gratitude for the enthusiastic atmosphere of the event, addressed relevant questions from the attending scholars, and presented a report on the creation of Chinese opera films. Director Teng focused on discussing the development direction of Chinese opera films and their relationship with traditional Chinese opera, summarizing valuable practical experiences into "eight transformations." He proposed finding breakthroughs through innovative thinking and the application of technology to expand the expressive space and development potential of Chinese opera films. On the issue of how to use film as a medium to inherit Chinese traditional culture, he shared his profound thoughts and unique insights. He also touched on the pursuit of technological innovation and artistic expression in film, emphasizing that artistic creation should avoid excessive nihilism and singular forms of expression. Instead, it should find a balance between the virtual and the real. Currently, while meeting the aesthetic demands of the post-industrial era, the inheritance and innovation of Chinese opera art face the challenge of making appropriate choices between the virtual and the real. He stressed that integrating the virtual and the real in artistic creation has significant guiding importance for contemporary artistic endeavors.
