China News Service, Wuhan, October 16th (Wang Juan, Yu Zhe) The 11th China Peking Opera Art Festival opened in Wuhan, Hubei Province on the evening of the 15th, and Jiangcheng theater fans welcomed a pear orchard feast. That night, the Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Theater's large-scale original Peking Opera "Made in Hanyang" took the lead, recreating the century-old epic of self-reliance with sonorous singing.
The China Peking Opera Art Festival is my country's highest-level and most influential national-level Peking Opera art event. This art festival is hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Hubei Provincial People's Government, and organized by the Art Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Wuhan Municipal People's Government. It is the first national Peking Opera art event held after the Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and other five departments jointly issued the "Three-Year Action Plan for Drama Revitalization (2026-2028)".
During the festival, seven main activities will be held, including outstanding drama performances, small theater performances, special performances of excerpts of small operas, special performances of opera schools, drama reviews, special seminars, and the "Spark Project" youth opera talent creation camp. The performance section includes 20 major plays, 5 small theater Peking operas, 4 Peking opera short plays and a number of special performances, which will be met with audiences and theater fans in 11 theaters including Hongshan Auditorium, Qintai Grand Theater and Hubei Theater.
On the night of the opening ceremony, the Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Theater presented a large-scale original Peking Opera "Made in Hanyang". The play is co-written by the famous playwright Zhao Ruitai and young screenwriter Pan Yanzhu, directed by the famous director Guo Xiaonan, and performed by first-class actor Yin Zhangxu together with three generations of outstanding actors from the Hubei Provincial Peking Opera Theater. The whole play is based on the historical facts of Zhang Zhidong's founding of the Hanyang Arsenal and the development of "Made in Hanyang" rifles during the late Qing Dynasty, recreating this difficult quest to save the country through industry.
This year's art festival also has special sections for martial arts performances, "unique skills" special performances, special performances for ugly behavior, and special performances for opera schools. It also holds report performances on the Peking Opera performing talent improvement plan and youth opera talent creation camps to build a stage for the growth of young talents. During the festival, the "One Play, One Review" activity will also be carried out, inviting experts, scholars, artists and play creators to conduct play reviews, and organizing experts, artists, creators and managers in the industry to conduct discussions on hot issues in the inheritance and development of Peking Opera. Professional comments will be used to observe creations, guide trends, and provide wisdom and suggestions for the inheritance and development of Peking Opera art in the new era.
During the festival, public welfare performances such as bringing Peking Opera into communities and scenic spots will also be carried out. Peking opera celebrities and cultural scholars will be invited to hold "Peking Opera Masters Discussing Opera" lectures on campus. Fans and Peking Opera clubs will be invited to display in parks, communities and squares, and "Peking Opera+" features will be held. Cultural tourism activities, Hubei revitalization of Wuhan Opera "Grand Pier" promotion conference and Wuhan's construction of "Commemorative Site for 100 Chinese Drama Performances", and activities such as exhibitions of fine excerpts in major areas where Han operas are broadcast will bring a professional, artistic and people-friendly Liyuan cultural feast to citizens and tourists.
