Immortalized on film

The opera Long March debuts as a movie production in Beijing, marking the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Chen Nan reports.

On July 1, 2016, the opera Long March made its debut at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. And, on the same day, a year later, the opera premiered as a movie production at the NCPA, marking the 96th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.

The movie version is directed by Hou Keming, who says that the production uses Ultra HD, or 4K technology, meaning that the picture has four times the resolution of high definition.

Top and above: A movie production of the opera Long March premieres at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on July 1. Above right: Tenors Yan Weiwen (right) and Wang Hongwei play the main roles in the film. Photos by Ling Feng / For China Daily

The opera, written by famed scriptwriter Zou Jingzhi and composed by Yin Qing, which took four years to complete, traces the key events during the Long March, a two-year tactical retreat of the Red Army to evade Kuomintang forces, starting in 1934.

The opera was staged to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the epic march, and the events portrayed in the opera included the battle near the Xiangjiang River, which saw around 50,000 Red Army soldiers die; and the battle at Luding Bridge, which saw a small Red Army force brave gunfire to cross the bridge and attack enemy positions on the other side - successfully securing a bridgehead for the army to cross.

In the opera, Zou, who spent two and a half years revising the script, does well to portray the distinctive character of the soldiers in the opera Long March.

The role of Commander Peng is played by tenor Yan Weiwen, while a heroic 16-year-old soldier, Ping Yazi, is played by tenor Wang Hongwei.

Speaking about the opera, director Tian Qinxin says: "We had many questions before creating this opera. How do we get the audience to connect with a story from 80 years ago? How will they see the soldiers, their sacrifices and their spirit in a contemporary era?

Meanwhile, despite being one of China's most accomplished drama directors, known for her works like Green Snake and Romeo and Juliet, Tian says that Long March - her first opera - was a challenging project.

The tenor Yan, 60, says: "Sacrifice and devotion are the main themes of the Long March. It's more than a historical event. It's a spirit.

"We spent more than three months rehearsing. It was like a dialog with history."

The Long March is the 11th original opera produced by the NCPA.

Tian says that telling a Chinese story using a Western art form is always a challenge for Chinese directors, scriptwriters and composers.

Composer Yin spent two years on the composition for the opera, where he combined bel canto with Chinese folk singing.

He also borrows folk music elements from the different places along the route of the Long March.

Chinese architect Ma Yansong, who is best known for his structures like the Absolute Towers in Canada, designed the stage using multimedia technology.

Co-director Yang Xiaoyang, who is also the vice-president of the Chinese Dancers Association, choreographed the moves for the battle scene and the scenes on the grasslands and the snow-capped mountains.

The year 2017 marks the NCPA's 10th anniversary, and during the past decade, it has produced more than 70 operas, including 11 original works, and made more than 20 movies based on the operas, which have been screened across the country.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn