Shen Tiemei, the opera singer who plays the role of Jiang Jie, is a leading representative in Sichuan Opera, the dean of Chongqing Sichuan Opera Theater, and a deputy to the National People's Congress.
She says that when adapting the classic opera to this Sichuan Opera production in 2018, the crew felt that they were standing on the shoulders of giants, having been provided meaningful subject matter and suitable content for folk operas.
"We feel that this revolution-themed production serves to not only reflect the spirit of Chongqing, but also inherits our Sichuan Opera art which is in need of preservation and development," Shen says.
In a forum held subsequent to the performances, Xiong Yuanwei, director and professor from National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, acknowledges that this production serves as a fine example of the inheritance of Sichuan Opera.
"The audience for Sichuan Opera is somewhat shrinking. The only thing that can save it is performances, especially good productions. Jiang Jie with its good cast can be one of these productions," Xiong says.
According to Shen, in the creation process of this production, the team thought a lot about how to construct a vivid and faithful image of a hero and combine the revolutionary spirit and traditional Sichuan Opera.
