Encounter of kindness during a time of brutality

The use of a blanket plays the centerpiece in sharing a touching tale that takes place during a war, Zhang Kun reports.

The Shanghai Ballet's new production of Lily will premiere at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on July 18. Lily, adapted from a short story of the same title by veteran writer Ru Zhijuan (1925-98), depicts a young military nurse's brief encounter with a soldier and a rural woman during a mission to borrow blankets from villagers during the War of Liberation (1946-49).

This year marks the centennial celebration of Ru's birth, and the ballet production will serve as "an important gift to my mother", says Wang Anyi, Ru's daughter and also a revered writer.

Wang adapted the story into a ballet at the request of Xin Lili, the artistic director of the Shanghai Ballet.

Mao Dun, celebrated writer and then China's minister of culture, said of Lily when it was published in 1958 that he was "satisfied and touched by the story", among the dozens of short stories he read. He praised it for its "concise structure and good writing" and lyrical style.

The story was included in a Chinese middle school textbook in 2022.

"It is a short, simple story that revolves around the ordinary task of borrowing a blanket," Wang said at Duoyun Bookstore in the Shanghai Tower on April 23.