Rehearsals for opera Red Boat begins in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province on July 5. [Photo/WeChat account: jxfabu]

Rehearsals for opera Red Boat began in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province on July 5, Jiaxing Daily reported.

The opera is being made as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and was produced by the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the CPC Jiaxing Municipal Committee, and Jiaxing Municipal Government.

Red Boat focuses on the CPC's first National Congress, which was held on a boat over Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing 99 years ago and attended by 13 representatives and one witness.

The opera was funded by the Jiaxing Municipal Government and Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, written by State-level producer Wang Yong, and directed by Huang Dingshan, director of the opera troupe of the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army.

At present, the production team and songs have been decided on and plans are being made for the choreography, clothing, props and casting.

Since its launch in 2019, Red Boat has received significant attention. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism listed it as a key supporting opera and invited renowned experts to discuss the script, which was submitted to the Publicity Department of the CPC for final examination in late June.

The opera is expected to premiere in September.