2021 marks the 14^th anniversary of the founding of the NCPA. At the press conference held on December 15^th, GONG Jicheng, Vice President of the NCPA announced the highlights of activities to celebrate its 14^th anniversary. Representatives of artists including LI Biao, XU Rui and WANG Yiqing expressed their best wishes to the NCPA.

The highlights of activities to celebrate the 14^th anniversary were announced at the press conference

 

In order to reward the support and love of the audience over the past 14 years, a series of performances and activities were planned by the NCPA. From December 9^th to 22^th, wonderful performances and specially-planned programmes of different art categories will be delivered online and offline, bringing an art feast to the audience from all over the world.

In response to the needs of epidemic prevention and control, the anniversary of the NCPA, which is held on December 22^nd every year, will not be organized offline this year. People can still visit the NCPA on that day as usual by real-name ticketing under the relevant provisions on epidemic prevention and control.

GONG Jicheng, Vice President of NCPA

GONG Jicheng, Vice President of NCPA said that the past 14 years have witnessed the efforts the NCPA has made in scaling new heights in art by gathering high-quality Chinese and foreign art products and realizing development and prosperity with the boom of Chinese literature and art. By adhering to the principle of “Being close to the people, simple, warm and wonderful”, wonderful performances and activities to celebrate and will be organized online and offline to share its artistic achievements with the audience.

It has been 14 years since the NCPA was opened on December 22^nd, 2007. On the evening of December 22^nd, 2021, the NCPA will showcase its achievements in the aspects of art productions, international exchanges, its operational ideas of “One Center, Three Sites” and scientific and technological empowerment by an online special programme jointly broadcast on multiple network platforms. The guest host will talk about what has happened in the NCPA with the artists to help the audience appreciate the unique charm of elegant arts in an immersive way. Meanwhile, a series of wonderful offline performances including dance dramas, dramas and symphonies will be presented to the audience before the end of 2021. The China NCPA Orchestra will give a performance at the Taihu Stage Design Centre to bring wonderful music to the people in the sub-centre of Beijing. Besides, various exhibitions will offer the audience an opportunity to appreciate the harmony and resonance of different art categories.

In production, the NCPA has planned and produced 55 sessions of 10 sets of newly produced and revived works on the theme of the history of the CPC, including the opera The Daughter of the Party, dance drama XIAN Xinghai, drama The Crossroads, etc. Meanwhile, the NCPA has organized 18 performances of nine sets by art groups in the NCPA, the thematic art festivals such as the NCPA Opera Festival and Chinese Symphony Spring and special planned online performances, etc; In terms of art popularization, the NCPA has also organized kinds of activities including Weekend Concerts, Entering the World in Records, NCPA International Opera Film Exhibition, 100 public welfare performances, and brand activities on the official website focusing on the red theme to recall the revolutionary years. The NCPA has also held many exhibitions such as The Red Ribbon of the Earth, Follow the Party Forever and History of the CPC in Literary Classics to let the audience experience the charm of the art works reflecting the centenary history of the CPC by means of images, multimedia audio-visual and so on.

In the past year, the NCPA has promoted the innovative integration of art and science and technology. In 2021, the NCPA has organized 570 offline commercial performances, held 580 art popularization performances and activities and 33 exhibitions , benefiting over 460,000 visitors.

The NCPA has kept launching free performances online every Saturday evening to enrich online performing forms and art resources. By applying the leading technology of 5G and 8K, the Symphony Concert of Beijing Chorus was broadcast in the world’s first 5G+ 8K cinema of the China National Film Museum and on the Internet platform. By December 11^th, 2021, the NCPA has organized 100 online performances, with a total of nearly three billion hits. The NCPA has also organized many offline activities such as the NCPA May Festival, 100 public welfare performances, Taihu Jazz Festival, Taihu Performing Arts Week, etc. Besides, China NCPA Orchestra conducted its first domestic tour this year.

The NCPA has played the role of a national cultural platform and held the 2021 Council Meeting of the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts, the Beijing Forum for Symphonic Music 2021 and the 2021 NCPA Taihu Art Centre International Forum. Under the framework of the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts, the NCPA and other member institutions jointly held online concerts with many overseas performing arts institutions, including the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra by giving full play to their respective advantages. At the same time, the NCPA has explored ways to convey the Chinese voice and display the Chinese image by cooperating with overseas media such as the ARD Fernsehen, Baden-Württemberg TV and Chicago Classical Music Radio.

In addition, in 2021, the NCPA signed strategic cooperation agreements with the China National Film Museum, Beijing Tourism Group, Central Academy of Fine Arts, CCTV network, etc.

In 2022, the 20^th National Congress of the CPC will be held and the 24^th Winter Olympic Games will also be opened in Beijing. At this significant historical moment, the NCPA will continue to plan thematic art festivals, organize various performances and launch art education and popularization activities by adhering to the new development concept and the principles of guidance, inheritance, innovation, inclusiveness and openness and integrating into the new development pattern to make the NCPA an art palace by the people, of the people and for the people and contribute to the construction of the Beijing National Cultural Centre.

In 2022, the NCPA will give priority to stability and safety by taking rigorous COVID-19 prevention and control measures. In terms of performance, the NCPA will continue to build a stage for performing arts and original arts. To convey the spirit of unity and friendship of Beijing, a city hosting both the Summer and Winter Olympics and contribute to the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the NCPA will hold concerts to commemorate the “Spring Festival Gala 2022” . Besides, some thematic art festivals such as the NCPA Opera Festival and NCPA May Festival will be presented with new designs and new themes and the China NCPA Orchestra will also start its second China tour in the season of “Glows from Within”. The NCPA will build a bridge for exchanges and mutual learning between the Chinese and foreign performing arts institutions by strengthening the platform role of the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts. The NCPA will continue to explore the dual track operation of online and offline performance by promoting the deep integration of art and technology and strengthening the innovation of online performance content. Meanwhile, the NCPA will plan to launch a series of new products, activities and exhibitions for the popularization of elegant arts and hold Weekend Concerts, Youth Popularization Concerts, NCPA International Opera Film Exhibition, Taihu Performing Arts Week, etc. to build an art education and popularization platform to contribute to the aesthetic education of teenagers nationwide.