China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre

Affiliated to Ministry of Culture of People’s Republic of China, China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre is the largest state-level theatre with the longest history and most arts in China. It presents to the audience a series of diverse theatrical performances. Within the theatre there are opera troupe, dance drama troupe, folk music troupe, symphony orchestra, creation studio as well as stage designing department. The theatre was Yan’an Lu Xun College of Art as its predecessor. The first Dean of the theatre was the famous artist Mr. ZHOU Weizhi, and Mr. TAO Cheng, a Musicology PhD, is the present Dean of the theatre.

In addition to a group of famous artists such as Mr. MA Ke, Mr. QIAO Yu, Ms. WANG Kun, Ms. GUO Lanying, Ms. ZHAO Qing, Mr. LIU Wenjin, Ms. CHEN Ailian, Mr. WU Yanze,Mr. XU Peidong and Mr. GUAN Xia in the past, a good many young and middle-aged artists have emerged into prominence in recent years. In 1964, the theatre participated in the grand musical dance epic The East is Red, in which the song Nanniwan sung by Ms. GUO Lanying has lived in the memory of the Chinese people for generations. Over half of the century, the theatre has performed more than one hundred operas and dance dramas, such as The White Haired Girl, Xiao Eehei's Marriage, The Lotus Lamp, The Dream of Red Chamber, Wildness, and The Shadow of Fence, which have marked the history of Chinese opera and dance drama and established symbolic images for China’s theatrical arts. China’s national leaders such as Mr. MAO Zedong, Mr. ZHOU Enlai, Mr. DENG Xiaoping, Mr. HU Jintao and Mr. XI Jinping, as well as heads of many foreign countries have enjoyed and sang highly of the performance.

Basing on glorious history, the theatre shows creativities. In recent years, the theatre has produced a series of new masterpieces, such as Red River Valley (Opera), Confucius (Dance Drama), Charm of the Seasons, Wishes from Heaven, and Carnival on the Road (all Song and Dance). At the invitation of a good many countries, the theatre has frequently presented its performance to audience around the world, which helps not only to promote the international cultural exchanges but also strengthen the friendship between Chinese people and the rest of the world.
With its classical stage performance, masterful arts and first-class artists, the theatre has won wide recognition and appreciation both domestically and worldwide.

Confucius

The dance drama “Confucius” is based on the wisdom and life course of Confucius. 60 dancers of the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre will bring his story back to life.
The dance drama uses dance elements to describe Confucius's experience in traveling in all the kingdoms and the difficulties in putting the Confucianism into practice. The drama presents Confucius's mind and feelings with abundant melody and staged imagery, shows Confucius's idea, spirit, wisdom, and passes the essence of Chinese traditional culture.
During the troubled times, the king was fatuous, fond of women and didn’t take Confucius’s suggestions seriously. Meanwhile, most ministers were crafty and fawning and schemed against each other. Confucius advised the king to implement the ritual system and the policy of benevolence but the efforts ended up in vain. The court conflicts finally affected Confucius, who was compelled to escape and seemingly saw the ideal world of universal harmony amid the shortage of food in windy and snowy days. The frequent wars made people homeless and the beautiful apricot tree gardens turned into battlefields. Along the way home in the darkness, he sang the Orchid Melody not to express his own sorrow, but suggest the grand but tough task ahead. He was on the homeward journey, but actually was on the way to a brilliant world.