This year marks the 75^th Anniversary of the Founding of the PRC, the Tenth Anniversary of General Secretary XI Jinping’s Speech at the Forum on Literature and Art and the Fourth Anniversary of General Secretary XI Jinping’s Reply to a letter from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. From October 1^st to 3^rd, the NCPA Peking opera The Legend of the White Snake will have its premiere. Produced on the principle of “revering the ancient rather than restoring ancient ways and inheriting tradition rather than sticking to the old”, the opera features a creative team of influential members, with cooperation between grandmasters and young Peking Opera artists.

On September 11^th, a press conference was held for the NCPA Peking Opera The Legend of the White Snake. The conference was attended by distinguished guests including ZHANG Yao, Vice President of the NCPA, Artistic Consultant YE Shaolan, Chief Director YANG Xiaoqing, Music Director YIN Xiaodong, Artistic Director and leading actress LI Shengsu, leading actor LI Hongtu and leading actress WANG Yan, among others. They briefed the media on some highlights of the opera.

A poetic “lake tour”, verbal and physical “fighting with water”, singing and acting on the “Broken Bridge”… Ingeniously created by lots of Peking Opera masters, The Legend of the White Snake has developed into a Peking Opera classic that has a high requirement for singing, acting and fighting skills, enjoying high popularity among the theatregoers. Jointly produced by the NCPA and National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in order to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, the peking opera is modeled on the Peking opera The Legend of the White Snake written in 1952 by Mr. TIAN Han and based upon the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts’ classic stage version. The opera focuses on the love between BAI Suzhen and XU Xian, giving prominence to what makes human nature genuine, virtuous and flawless, as well as the spirit of great love.

In terms of overall artistic presentation, the peking opera is both traditional and innovative, produced on the principle of “revering the ancient rather than restoring ancient ways and inheriting tradition rather than sticking to the old”. At the press conference, ZHANG Yao, Vice President of the NCPA, said that this version carries forward the innovative spirit of the new era on the basis of respecting the excellent traditional Chinese culture. The story unfolds with love as the core and skills as the way of expression. Traditional opera aesthetics and Peking Opera features are blended into an expression of modern aesthetics, while the traditional opera art is combined with multimedia technology to provide the audience with a fresh visual experience, so as to continually meet their growing aesthetic demand. In the process of cultural inheritance and innovation, the NCPA can realise creative transformation and innovative development. Then it can empower the excellent traditional Chinese culture, making it possible to increase and broaden the popularity of classics.

This version features a guest artistic consultant, Mr. YE Shaolan, a famous Peking Opera artist, guest artistic directors YU Kuizhi and LI Shengsu, and a mighty creative team including Chief Director YANG Xiaoqing, Music Director YIN Xiaodong, Visual Director, Set Designer & Lighting Designer XIAO Lihe, Directors YI Lin and ZHU Zhenying, Choreographer ZHANG Xuesong, Music Designers & Orchestrators WANG Xiaobing, TIAN Zhenzi, YU Xiangguo and ZHOU Yunting, Video Projection Designer HU Tianji, Costume Design Akuan, Makeup & Hair Style Designer HU Yali, Props Designer LI Jiyong, Scriptwriter QIAN Binbin, Music Editor ZHAO Jiafu and Sound Designer HE Wenrui.

From a folk tale to a legend popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties and to TIAN Han’s Peking Opera script, The Legend of the White Snake is recreated in every era. This reflects a change in the people’s aesthetic needs and values. Contemporary aesthetics finds expression in the NCPA version, with a contemporary connotation endowed to this traditional classic. In terms of plot clues and conception, the love between BAI Suzhen and XU Xian is taken as the mainline to highlight what makes human nature genuine, virtuous and flawless. In the opera, BAI Suzhen’s unremitting pursuit of great love gradually touches XU Xian, Fahai, Old Man of the South Pole and the common people. On the aspect of narrative, some of the original plots have been enriched so that the audience should see a familiar, though seemingly unfamiliar, and moving version. As for stage presentation, Chief Director YANG Xiaoqing, as well as other members of the creative team, is ready to show the audience a beautiful picture of Jiangnan (Yangtse River Delta region) by virtue of a more poetic stage expression in response to the freehand spirit of traditional opera. From a lake tour in spring to the Dragon Boat Festival in summer, and from husband search in autumn to the Broken Bridge in winter, the entire opera unfolds in four seasons, looking so tortuous and heart-touching. Under the protection of true love, BAI Suzhen and XU Xian undergo tests of life and death, true love and confusion. On the premise of abiding by the traditional rules of Peking Opera, the opera is endowed with something high-tech and trendy from stage design to costume design.

This NCPA Peking opera retains the popular classic arias, and creatively, theme music is audible throughout the opera. Moreover, stage presentation and fighting scenes have been innovated somewhat. This version begins with a “lake tour” and ends up with the “Broken Bridge”. The audience can not only hear classic arias familiar to them, such as “Leaving mount Emei for Jiangnan (Yangtse River Delta region)”, “My sister, wait a moment to lift your sword”, And based on the original arias, a novel way of expression has been adopted in accordance with the psychological changes of the characters, i.e., this beautiful love myth will be expressed in the form of a theme song. Also, the traditional Peking Opera orchestra will be combined creatively with a digital orchestra to further enhance the artistic appeal of the opera. The fighting scenes, such as “herb stealing” and “fighting with water”, will also be recreated ingeniously on the basis of tradition. “Fighting” in the sky, on the ground and in water will thus blend into one harmonious whole.

As for the cast, the opera will star guest performers - famous Peking Opera artists LI Shengsu, LI Hongtu, WANG Yan and LI Yanyan. They will meet the audience in several performances, giving a vivid portrayal of love, hatred and infatuation.

In addition, outstanding young Peking Opera artists CHU Fengyi and GUO Zhufeng, as well as some teachers and students from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, including ZHAO Jingxuan, YI Lin and FENG Luohan, will give a passionate performance, too. Famous artists and rising stars will share the stage for inheritance of the traditional opera art.