Since April 20^th of this year, performance to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the CPC had been carried out nationwide by Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. On the stage were 140 outstanding shows from provinces (districts and cities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The performance represented the history of the last century when the CPC led Chinese people to write the most lofty poetry in thousands of years. The show was well-received by audience, especially the young.

    The show presented CPC’s great journey, achievement and experience in the last century from different aspects. It depicted party’s mission and original aspiration to seek happiness and rejuvenation for the people, which was transformed to performance on the stage. Thus, actors draw a painting of vivid and three-dimensional party history.

    In the performance, there were all kinds of shows. Some of them were revolutionary like Beijing Opera “The Story of the Red Army”, opera “Yimeng Mountain”, dance drama “Solider on the Horse” and acrobatics “Battle of Shanghai”. Some were realistic, like drama “Red Flag Canal”, Hebei Clapper Opera “Li Baoguo” and Shanxi Opera “The Song of Flowers”. Some recorded poverty alleviation, like Huagu Opera “Peach Flower in the Rain”. Some reflected new countryside construction, like Caidiao Opera “A New Edition of Liu Sanjie”. Some focused on the fight against the pandemic, like the opera “Angel’s Diary”. There were also classic shows, like Beijing Opera “The Red Lantern” and “Raid the White-Tiger Regiment”; opera “White Haired Girl” and “Daughter of the Party” and ballet “The Red Detachment of Women”, all of which were watched by a lot of people.

    Since the start of the performance to July 20^th, 131 shows were performed 553 times and watched by 400.6 thousand people. The average occupancy rate was 87%. 50 shows were broadcast on more than 20 online platforms including Xuexi Qiangguo, Wenlu Zhongguo, “Wenyi Zhongguo” account of Kuaishou and Channels of Wechat. The number of online viewers numbered 93.227 million and 89.765 clicked “like”.

    The reason why these performances moved audience was that they originated in people’s life.

    Real life inspired art creators’ hearts, especially for realistic shows which must based on real life, people and details. The nationality opera “On the Way of Poverty Alleviation” costed 2 years for creation. The creative team went to Baise region in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region multiple times to get a better understanding of the grassroots’ life, which led to more than 10 changes of their script. In the morning of June 17^th, 2019, Huang Wenxiu, a 30 year-old first secretary of party branch of Baini village of Leye county in Baise city of Guangxi back then, died because of a mountain torrents. She contributed a lot to poverty alleviation. Tian Qinxin, director and scriptwriter of the “On the Way of Poverty Alleviation”, led his team to Guangxi and went to the place where she passed away. They stepped on the road where Huang Wenxiu walked on to form a clear idea of how hard her work was, despite the thundershower and the possible mountain torrents. “Keeping people in mind, we can create outstanding works. We use art to record the great poverty alleviation in China’s history and to write this touching world miracle in a new era. Our creation is a process to learn from people and to be moved by them”, said Tian Qinxin to the reporter.

    The creation and rehearsal of the epic drama “The Song of the Land” bumped into the Covid-19 pandemic which caused a lot of troubles. It’s lucky that in the end of the December of 2019, Feng Bilie, the scriptwriter, and the team went to places like Shibadong village in Huayuan county and Hangka village of Fenghuang county of Hunan province to experience the life depicted in the show. There was a scene that villagers misunderstood the poverty alleviation, thinking that it simply meant to give them money. That came from the a fact that Feng Bilie heard a resident’s question that “doesn’t poverty alleviation mean exactly to give money to us?” There was an other scene where the a character named Tian Ermao made up a doggerel to taunt the team responsible for poverty alleviation. It’s inspiration was a doggerel wrote on a wall in the Shibadong village. Mai Qing, costume designer, found ideas from mountains, rivers, drizzle and fog as well as embroidery of Miao people. Finally, butterfly, wave and flower became patterns on costumes. The beauty of the Xiangxi environment (the place the story based on) became a part of more than 1000 costumes.

    Innovation was the life of art creation. Real examples could prove the CPC’s mission and original aspiration to seek happiness and rejuvenation of Chinese nation. Art practitioners found new aspects, ideas and technology to tell stories on stages and explored the unique attraction of stage art.

    The “Battle of Shanghai” used acrobatics to present the battle on the eve of the liberation of Shanghai. Performers presented soul-stirring historical event to audience through complex acrobatic skills. In the scene named “hard break through”, on the 8 rope ladders were soldiers striving to climb to the top. Some failed and fall down and some succeed, reflecting not only professional techniques, but also the hardship and cruelty of the battle which made audience anxious. The drama showed the sacrifice spirit of People's Liberation Army to realize the liberation of Shanghai with the cost of their own lives.

    Caidiao Opera “A New Edition of Liu Sanjie” used traditional caidiao technique while abandoning the old fixed processes, adding modern music and giving new meaning to “Liu Sanjie” according to the current era. Long Qian, director of the show and president of Guangxi Theater, said that the “new edition” was the result of the following aspects. First, the creation team was composed of experts form Guangxi and well-known experts from the whole nation, so the caidiao’s local atmosphere and a new style of drama language could be presented. Second, the traditional process was not strictly followed, so performers had leeway for their own talents, presenting director’s new method. Third, elements of current era were added, like e-commerce and internet, presenting new content. Forth, the combination of folk song and modern music represented new art techniques. “‘A New Edition of Liu Sanjie’ was an art exploration and practice of creative transformation and development of Liu Sanjie related culture, which could show the mission and the original aspiration of art practitioners of Guangxi”, said Long Qian.

    The show could be watched in theater or online. The performance adhered to people-benefiting principle and established many measures, like preferential cards, 10-yuan tickets, tickets for people with special needs and so on, so more ordinary people could go to theater to enjoy the show. Online performance was attached with an introduction and expert interpretation, so CPC history education could cover more regions, people and content with outstanding work as carriers.

    Performance presented the CPC’s heroic deeds in an artistic way and was a vivid classes for party education. “The Night of the Fragrant Hill” was included in an event named “watch revolutionary classics to know a hundred years of tradition”. More than 114 diplomats and ambassadors to China watched the show. They were from 55 embassies in China (missions of international organizations in China), including Russia, Austria, German, Italy, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Uruguay, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Zambia. Some shows were performed in institutes, factories and mines, like Henan opera “Jiao Yulu”, drama “Zhang Fuqing”, drama “Party Branch Should be Built at Company-level”. It’s worth mentioning that teenagers were one of the key groups. Sichuan opera “Jiangjie” was performed in Tsinghua University. Sichuan lantern drama “Ode to Red Plum Blossom” was performed in GuiZhou University of Finance and Economics. Children’s show “Stars in the Fire” was performed On June 1^st as a charity show which was a vivid “art party class” for teenagers.