China News Service, Paris, September 6th. The Chinese classic opera "The Wilderness" premiered in Paris, France on the evening of the 5th local time. The play is presented by the "Chinese Style" brand of China International Culture Group Co., Ltd. and produced by the China Opera and Dance Theatre.
Chinese Ambassador to France Deng Li and his wife Zhang Hua attended the performance and experienced the artistic charm of this classic Chinese stage work, which is well-known at home and abroad, together with representatives from all walks of life in France and overseas Chinese in France.
When the curtain opened, the leading actor strode onto the stage and sang the words "I'm back" loudly and resonantly. This was not only the inner cry of the character Qiu Hu to resist the oppression of fate, but also the solemn echo of the return of the opera "The Wilderness" to the European stage after nearly thirty years.
On the evening of September 5, local time, the Chinese classic opera "The Wilderness" was performed in Paris, France. Photo by reporter Li Yang
The opera "The Wilderness" is adapted from the classic play of the same name by the famous Chinese playwright Cao Yu. It is a very iconic work in the development of Chinese opera. After its premiere in Beijing in the late 1980s, the opera became a sensation in the domestic literary and artistic circles. It later toured in Europe and the United States, attracting widespread attention from the Western opera community and leaving a deep mark on the international opera field. Overseas media called it "the first Chinese opera to open the door to the Western opera palace." In 2025, the China Opera and Dance Drama Theater revived this classic work in a new way and toured major cities in China. It once again won high praise. The work won the "Excellent Play Award" at the 19th China Drama Festival.
Feng Li, director of the China Opera and Dance Drama Theater, said that "The Wilderness" is a representative work of Chinese opera that explores the integration of Chinese and Western arts and entered the international stage early. The play has been performed frequently in the nearly 40 years since its inception. The origin lies in the work's profound description of the core of human tragedy and its inquiry into the common spiritual pursuit of mankind. For this European tour, we use a condensed arrangement of one conductor, one piano, two ethnic percussion pieces, and six characters to subtract from the stage and return to the performance itself. We rely closely on the actors' interpretations and focus on dramatic conflicts and vocal tension, so that this classic work with both national soul and international vision can shine with the splendor of a new era.
On the stage, the actors used extremely intense singing and physical performances to interpret the love-hate life situations of the characters in the play. The emotional passages in the chants and the undercurrents of the rival scenes gradually released the struggle, unwillingness and yearning for freedom in human nature. The Chinese national charm and Western composition techniques are intertwined and blended, making every aria carry heavy emotional energy. The audience was immersed in the ups and downs of the story and resonated with the characters in the play. When the last notes of the finale dissipated and a brief silence passed, applause suddenly burst out. The entire audience stood up spontaneously and paid tribute to the artists on stage with long-lasting and warm cheers and applause. After the performance, Deng Li congratulated the performance on its success and took photos with the cast and crew.
The European tour of the opera "The Wilderness" is an annual project of China International Culture Group Co., Ltd.'s "Chinese Style" brand. The French station will be performed twice in a row at the Pleyel Concert Hall in Paris from September 5th to 6th. Guo Liqun, chairman and general manager of China International Culture Group Co., Ltd., said that since its establishment in 2009, the "Chinese Style" brand has selected more than 30 Chinese art troupes and more than 40 high-quality plays to perform 70 times in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania countries. After more than 0 performances, this visit to Europe with the opera "The Wilderness" is not only a one-way visit to the play, but also a two-way dialogue bridge. I hope that this Chinese classic opera, which has been accumulated for decades, can impress every audience who comes to watch the performance and become a precious mark of cultural exchanges between China and Europe. (over)
