On the morning of March 28, 43 days before the premiere of the “Wang Yangming” opera, a group of school leaders led by Yang Wei, secretary of the CPC Guizhou University (GZU) Committee, visited the China National Opera House (CNOH) in hopes of receiving constructive suggestions. At the meeting, the team was warmly received by the Opera House’s leadership, including Liu Yunzhi, President and Artistic Director, and Li Danyang, Vice President.

After visiting the rehearsal hall and watching the opera’s rehearsal, Yang Wei and the team were impressed by the actors’ performance. Afterwards, a discussion was held in the Opera House’s office building. Attendees, including Liu Jing, Director of the Artistic Creation and Planning Department, Yuan Jingnan, Director of the Choreographic Design and Production Center, Liu Jinjun, the opera’s Composer, Li Chenxi, the Choreographer, and Zeng Yunzhu, the Costume Designer, introduced the rehearsal and creation process of the opera.

During the meeting, Yang Wei expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the Opera House for its great support of the opera, noting that it is an artistic masterpiece jointly created by Guizhou University and the China National Opera House. The collaboration between the two parties not only embraces Wang Yangming’s doctrine of the “unity of knowledge and action,” but also has resulted in fruitful achievements. Furthermore, she encouraged both parties to continue working together on the creation and rehearsal of the opera, with the aim of presenting the best performance to the audience. Additionally, she expressed the hope that more people will be able to appreciate the profound heritage of Chinese traditional culture and the unique essence of Wang Yangming’s doctrines.

Liu Yunzhi from the CNOH also expressed a warm welcome to the team and acknowledged that the opera encompasses deep traditional Chinese culture and has a broad influence on our lives. Since the opera’s creation, it has been prioritized and received substantial support from the CNOH, who are committed to making it a masterpiece of art that meets the needs of the people. It is expected that this opera could become a seminal work representing and promoting the essence of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, serving as a channel for more people to experience the charm of Chinese culture

The visit to the CNOH has made a positive impact on the project of “Wang Yangming” opera, driving the opera’s rehearsal forward. Meanwhile, it opens up a broader landscape for future cooperation between GZU and CNOH in terms of artistic creation and talent training. To contribute to the inheritance and promotion of the excellent traditional culture of the Chinese nation, GZU will continue to carry out extensive cooperation and exchanges, playing a major role in promoting the achievements of artistic education.

The “Wang Yangming” opera was orchestrated and composed by Dr. Liu Jinjun, who is a graduate supervisor of composition at the School of Music of GZU. Working together with Wang Hua, Dr. Liu was engaged in screenwriting. The lyrics were created by Qiao Damo and Liu Jinjun. This project has been seen as a model play for the field of literary and artistic creations across Guizhou. The opera is rehearsed at the CNOH and will be presented jointly by GZU, CNOH, Guizhou Daoxi Culture and Media Company Limited, and Guizhou Confucius Institute Development Foundation. Among the cast, Liu Yunzhi is the Artistic Director; Yuan Ding, a renowned conductor, is the Conductor; and Yi Liming and Shen Liang, well-known opera directors, are the Co-Directors. The role of Wang Yangming will be performed by two actors: Zhang Long, an opera performer active on the world opera stage, and Han Junyu, a renowned opera performer at the CNOH. Other cast and artistic personnel will be officially revealed by the bulletin of the CNOH.

The premiere of the “Wang Yangming” opera will be debuted to audiences across the world in the evenings of May 10-12, 2024 at the premises of the CNOH.

Editor: Li Xuefei

Chief Editor: Zhang Chan

Senior Editor: Li Xufeng

Translator: Li Xiaorong