The stage of the Ouju Opera Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]
The 23rd China Shanghai International Arts Festival, a beacon of global cultural exchange, will feature the Ouju Opera Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan, telling the story of Zhang Xie, the top-score winning scholar for the imperial examination, as a highlight performance.
The announcement from the festival was received by the Wenzhou Ouju Opera Art Research Institute on May 17, following their invitation to perform at the Shanghai Tianchan Yifu Theater on Oct 18.
Since its inception in 1999, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival has been a prestigious event, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. It stands as an important window for China's cultural outreach and is recognized as one of the world's most influential cultural festivals.
The Ouju Opera Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan holds the distinction of being the earliest and most intact ancient Chinese opera script known, earning the titles of "China's first opera" and "living fossil of opera" from historians.
In a bid to infuse this age-old masterpiece with contemporary relevance, the Ouju Opera Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan underwent a creative transformation in 2023.
The production, starring the esteemed Ouju Opera artist Fang Rujiang, notched up four remarkable achievements last year. It graced the stages of the National Center for the Performing Arts and the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, participated in the China Theater Festival, and was featured in the China Central Television Spring Festival Opera Gala.
