A Legacy of Dramatic Art: the Cao Yu Cultural Festival in Qianjiang

By He Sai, Du Shaohua & Xu Yiming

Cao Yu was the most accomplished playwright in the history of modern Chinese drama. His representative works includeThunderstorm, Sunrise,The Wilderness, and Peking Man, all of which have been translated into many languages and gained great fame internationally

曹禺是中國現(xiàn)代話劇史上成就最高的劇作家，其代表作《雷雨》《日出》《原野》《北京人》均被譯成多國文字，廣泛傳播

November 2020 witnessed a carnival of Chinese Opera in Qianjiang City, Central China’s Hubei Province. Fourteen laureates of the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Opera, together with teachers and students from 8 prestigious universities such as Nankai University, Shanghai Theater Academy, Shaanxi Normal University, and Hubei University of Education, attended the China (Qianjiang) Cao Yu Cultural Festival to perform 21 Chinese opera of various genres for local audiences. Brilliant Peking Opera, Yue Opera, and Sichuan Opera, delicate Huagu Opera, Huangmei Opera, and Shadow Puppet Play, along with melodious Kunqu Opera and Shaanxi Opera, were all performed in the theaters of Qianjiang, instantly bringing the small city into a kaleidoscopic world of Chinese opera. By means of the refined story contents and excellent stage performances, the artists, in the five stylized types of character roles of Sheng (male lead), Dan (female lead), Jing (supporting male lead), Mo (old male role), and Chou (comedy role), vividly displayed the joy of the times and the essence of life.

Love and Revenge in the Wilderness, Huagu Opera 花鼓戲《原野情仇》

The Butterfly Lovers, an opera performed at the opening ceremony of the Cao Yu Cultural Festival曹禺文化周開幕式戲劇演出《梁?！?/p>

11月的潛江，整個(gè)兒成了中國戲劇的海洋。14 位中國戲劇梅花獎(jiǎng)得主和南開大學(xué)、上海戲劇學(xué)院、陜西師范大學(xué)、湖北第二師范學(xué)院等8 所高校的師生，齊聚潛江，為潛江人民獻(xiàn)演了21 場(chǎng)各類中國戲劇。京劇、越劇、川劇，劇劇生輝；花鼓戲、黃梅戲、皮影戲，戲戲精彩；昆曲、秦腔，腔腔悅耳。戲劇流彩，演員獻(xiàn)技，把潛江各大劇院舞臺(tái)變成了中國戲劇歷史的萬花筒；生旦凈末丑，把時(shí)代歡歌與精神生活展現(xiàn)得淋漓盡致。

中國中部這個(gè)不到30 萬人的小城，何以受到全中國戲劇界的青睞，何以成為現(xiàn)代中國新興的戲劇大看臺(tái)？這要從戲劇大師曹禺說起。

曹禺劇 四海傳

曹 禺（1910年9月24日—1996年12月13日），原名萬家寶，祖籍湖北潛江。他出生于天津一個(gè)沒落的官僚家庭，最終成長為中國杰出的現(xiàn)代話劇劇作家。

曹禺幼年喪母，其母親孿生妹妹薛詠南嫁給其父萬德尊，撫養(yǎng)曹禺長大。薛詠南喜歡看戲，曹禺3歲時(shí)就常隨繼母看戲。京劇、河北梆子、山西梆子、唐山落子、文明戲等中國傳統(tǒng)戲劇，曹禺看了個(gè)遍，這些戲曲在他幼小的心靈深處烙上了深深的印記，也為他將來的創(chuàng)作奠定了一定的基礎(chǔ)。

1922年，曹禺插班入讀南開中學(xué)，由于對(duì)戲劇的熱愛，他參加了南開新劇團(tuán)。曹禺筆名的來源是因?yàn)楸拘铡叭f（萬）”，結(jié)構(gòu)為上“艸”下“禺”，于是他將“萬（萬）”字拆為“草禺”，又因“草”不是姓，故取諧音字“曹”，兩者組合而得曹禺。

A Fairy in Human World, Sichuan Opera川劇《別洞觀景》

A Family Reunion, Huagu Opera 花鼓戲《認(rèn)親記》

Why does this small city with a population of less than 300,000 in Central China draw such popularity among opera circles? And why has it become an emerging grand stage of Chinese opera? All this can be traced back to Cao Yu, the talented playwright of modern Chinese drama.

Cao Yu, China’s Shakespeare

Cao Yu (September 24, 1910-December 13, 1996), pseudonym of Wan Jiabao, was born to a run-down bureaucrat family in Tianjin, north of China, and became an outstanding modern playwright in China.

Legend of Mulan, an opera performed at the opening ceremony of the Cao Yu Cultural Festival曹禺文化周開幕式戲劇演出《木蘭傳奇》

曹禺與魯迅、郭沫若、茅盾、巴金、老舍等都是中國新文化運(yùn)動(dòng)的開拓者。他是中國現(xiàn)代戲劇的泰斗，戲劇教育家，歷任中國文聯(lián)常委委員、執(zhí)行主席；中國戲劇家協(xié)會(huì)常務(wù)理事，副主席；中國作協(xié)理事，北京市文聯(lián)主席；中央戲劇學(xué)院副院長，名譽(yù)院長；北京人民藝術(shù)劇院院長等職務(wù)。他筆下的每一個(gè)角色，都給人們留下了難忘的印象。

1934年曹禺的話劇處女作《雷雨》問世，在中國現(xiàn)代話劇史上具有重要意義，它被公認(rèn)為是中國現(xiàn)代話劇成熟的標(biāo)志，曹禺也因此被譽(yù)為“東方莎士比亞”。曹禺是中國現(xiàn)代話劇史上成就最高的劇作家，除《雷雨》外，其代表作還有《日出》《原野》《北京人》，均被譯成多國文字，廣泛傳播。

1996年12月13日，因 長 期疾病，曹禺在北京醫(yī)院辭世，享年86 歲。

看花鼓 認(rèn)老鄉(xiāng)

早在1956年，潛江就成立了潛江花鼓劇團(tuán)，劇團(tuán)發(fā)揚(yáng)中國戲劇傳統(tǒng)，刻苦創(chuàng)新，成績斐然。成立之初，劇團(tuán)就創(chuàng)作了現(xiàn)代小戲《攔花轎》為朱德等中央領(lǐng)導(dǎo)演出；之后，該劇團(tuán)演出的《平原作戰(zhàn)》《家庭公案》《原野》《原野情仇》等多次進(jìn)京演出，并獲得很高評(píng)價(jià)。

Up on the Rooftop, Peking Opera 京劇《上天臺(tái)》

Cao’s ancestral home was in Qianjiang, Hubei. He lost his mother at an early age. Later, his mother’s twin sister Xue Yongnan was married to his father Wan Dezun and raised Cao Yu. Xue Yongnan was fond of watching plays. Under her influence, Cao Yu began to watch all genres of traditional Chinese opera, ranging from Peking Opera, Hebei Bangzi, and Shanxi Bangzi to Tangshan Laozi and Wenming Opera (early form of modern drama) with his stepmother starting at just 3 years old. This left deep impressions in his mind and laid the foundation for his future career.

In 1922, Cao Yu was transferred to the Nankai Middle School, where his love for plays brought him into the Nankai Modern Opera Troupe. The name 曹禺 (Cao Yu) originated from his surname 萬 (wan). He dismantled the character down to two structures 艸 (cao; grass) and 禺 (yu). Since the character 艸 could not be used traditionally as a surname, he chose the homophonic character 曹 (cao) instead. He then combined the two characters to form a new name 曹禺.

潛江花鼓劇團(tuán)一次次赴京演出，引起了曹禺的關(guān)注?！都彝ス浮费莩鰰r(shí)，曹禺坐在臺(tái)下聚精會(huì)神地觀看著，不停地鼓掌叫絕，演出結(jié)束時(shí)，曹禺非常激動(dòng)，大步走上講臺(tái)，與演員們親切握手，說：“老鄉(xiāng)見老鄉(xiāng)，兩眼淚汪汪?！彼麑?duì)大家的表演大加贊賞，其間還請(qǐng)大家到家里做客。曹禺非常欣慰，自己的祖籍所在地潛江能培育出這樣一支優(yōu)秀的戲劇隊(duì)伍。雖然曹禺一生中未到潛江生活過，但潛江人民對(duì)戲劇的熱愛和傳承，在曹禺心里留下了深刻的印象，在住院期間，他親筆寫下了《我是潛江人》一文：

An actor performing face change of Sichuan Opera 一位川劇演員在表演變臉

“多少年來，我像是一個(gè)沒有故鄉(xiāng)的人。我走過不少地方，沒有一處使我感到這是我的故鄉(xiāng)，是我的父母之邦。我像是一只南來北往的飛鳥，山山水水，高山平原……我認(rèn)識(shí)許多人，聽過許多熟習(xí)和不熟習(xí)的聲音，但沒有一處使我感到如此親切，如此動(dòng)心，像‘潛江人’這三個(gè)字，使我從心里覺得溫暖、明亮。人問我：‘你貴處哪里？’我答：‘潛江。’我從來沒有到過潛江，但近八十年了，我認(rèn)為我是潛江人，這種貼心的情感，不知怎樣造成的。我愛潛江，這不是模模糊糊的幾個(gè)字，像是其中有血與肉的聯(lián)系。大約是我從嬰兒時(shí)，父母的聲音笑貌，我吃的家鄉(xiāng)帶來的食物，或者家庭中那種潛江空氣，使我從小到大認(rèn)為自己是個(gè)地地道道的潛江人?！率枪枢l(xiāng)明’，我真覺得潛江的月亮比哪個(gè)地方的都圓、都亮，這種鄉(xiāng)土的情感也許有點(diǎn)偏執(zhí)，但我認(rèn)為中國人的愛國思想有一個(gè)原因是從鄉(xiāng)土來的。一出國門，人家問，先生從何處來？我便自豪地說：‘我是中國人！’

“我病了一年多，一天也不能出醫(yī)院。這次潛江開一個(gè)這樣隆重的會(huì)，我確實(shí)不能參加。我只感到，我工作一生的成績不多，也不能令人滿意，只有潛江故鄉(xiāng)人的深情，才辦的這樣光彩。老實(shí)說，我作為一個(gè)文藝工作者，不值得我的眾多老鄉(xiāng)和許多朋友如此看重的。我打心里感謝潛江父老，潛江家鄉(xiāng)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)和各位專家學(xué)者。我是十分感謝的！”

從曹禺先生的這封信中不難看出他對(duì)潛江的感情。潛江人在曹禺生活中的出現(xiàn)，潛江人對(duì)曹禺先生戲劇的演出，使他回憶起兒時(shí)父母的鄉(xiāng)音，使他感覺了潛江人民對(duì)他的愛戴。

2006年潛江花鼓劇團(tuán)走出國門，赴德國演出成功。為潛江與德國海登海姆市結(jié)為友好城市構(gòu)建了橋梁。2013年，團(tuán)長吳培義攜移植傳統(tǒng)劇目《趙氏孤兒》應(yīng)邀赴英國參加“寰球舞臺(tái)演出中國”國際學(xué)術(shù)交流會(huì)。近30年來，劇團(tuán)共有30 余臺(tái)戲（次）和100 余人（次）分獲國家、省、市各級(jí)藝術(shù)獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)。

Female Consort Prince, Huangmei Opera 黃梅戲《女駙馬》

Cao Yu, Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Mao Dun, Ba Jin, and Lao She are all ranked as the forerunners of the Chinese New Cultural Movement. Cao Yu is credited as a renowned scholar of modern Chinese drama as well as a famous educator in drama. He ever served as the Executive Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles; the Standing Director and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association of Theater Artists; the Director of the Chinese Writers Association and Chairman of the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles; the Vice President and Honorary Dean of the Central Academy of Drama; and the Dean of Beijing People’s Art Theater. Every role he portrayed in his plays has left an unforgettable impression upon the audiences.

In 1934, Cao Yu’s first play,Thunderstorm, came into existence. It is recognized as a highlight of modern Chinese drama, for which Cao Yu was honored the title of “China’s Shakespeare.” He would go on to later become the most accomplished playwright in the history of modern Chinese drama. In addition toThunderstorm, his representative works include Sunrise, The Wilderness, and Peking Man, all of which have been translated into many languages and gained great fame internationally.

“戲劇之都”潛江

花鼓戲的歷史底蘊(yùn)加上曹禺先生的戲劇成就，使得潛江戲脈傳承，加上潛江這個(gè)城市的文化自覺和潛江人民對(duì)戲曲文化的熱愛，使得潛江在戲劇方面的發(fā)展突顯出來，也使?jié)摻@得了“中國花鼓戲之鄉(xiāng)”的美譽(yù)，使得潛江“戲劇之都”的大道越走越寬。

Ambush on All Sides, an opera performed at the opening ceremony of the Cao Yu Cultural Festival 曹禺文化周開幕式戲劇演出《十面埋伏》

Fire breathing in Sichuan Opera 川劇

潛江人民把曹禺視為內(nèi)心的驕傲和自豪。為紀(jì)念曹禺先生，潛江專門開發(fā)了曹禺公園，修建了曹禺紀(jì)念館、曹禺祖居、曹禺大劇院、曹禺茶樓和曹禺陵墓等，曹禺先生的妻子曾親自帶著后人探訪潛江。如今曹禺先生的孩子們也都與潛江建立了深厚的感情。

Qianjiang locals dancing the straw-made dragon 潛江人表演非遺文化草把龍

Qianjiang artists performing a shadow play 潛江藝人表演皮影戲

On December 13, 1996, Cao Yu passed away in Beijing Hospital at the age of 86.

“I Am a Qianjiang Native”

The Qianjiang Huagu Opera Troupe was founded in 1956. Adhering to the traditions of Chinese opera, the troupe is committed to innovation and achieving outstanding achievements. At the beginning of its founding, the troupe performed a modern dramaRefusing to Ferry the Palanquinfor Zhu De and other national leaders. After that, the troupe successively presented on stageFighting on the Plains,A Family Case,The Wilderness,Love and Revenge in the Wilderness, and other performances in Beijing and received high praise.

每隔4年，潛江都要舉行一屆“中國（潛江）曹禺文化周”，紀(jì)念曹禺先生，弘揚(yáng)中國戲劇文化，推動(dòng)潛江文化發(fā)展，擴(kuò)大潛江戲劇影響力。自2004年11月興辦第一屆以來，今年已經(jīng)是第四屆。曹禺先生的堂弟，中國政協(xié)副主席、致公黨中央主席萬鋼發(fā)來祝賀視頻。他說，2020年是曹禺先生誕辰110周年，舉辦曹禺文化周，對(duì)于推動(dòng)潛江“戲劇之都”建設(shè)和豐富人民群眾精神文化生活，具有十分重要的意義。他希望，通過舉辦第四屆中國（潛江）曹禺文化周，帶動(dòng)湖北、潛江疫后經(jīng)濟(jì)重振和高質(zhì)量發(fā)展，讓人民群眾共享經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)發(fā)展和文化繁榮發(fā)展的成果，讓潛江走向世界，讓世界認(rèn)識(shí)潛江。

每一屆文化周的舉辦，都是潛江打造“戲劇之都”征程上的動(dòng)人樂章。今年11月7日晚，為表達(dá)對(duì)戲劇大師曹禺先生最好的敬意，14 位中國戲劇“梅花獎(jiǎng)”獲得者，200 余位各劇種戲曲演員，為觀眾帶來一場(chǎng)“國色天香梅韻芬芳”的藝術(shù)盛宴。柳萍、韓再芬、陳巧茹、翁國生、謝群英、胡新中、王振義、李雪飛等優(yōu)秀演員，一招一式，一顰一笑贏得滿堂喝彩。

11月8日，曹禺文化旅游城、曹禺戲劇國際交流中心揭牌，這是潛江牽手文旅產(chǎn)業(yè)巨頭卓爾精心打造的旅游線路。曹禺戲劇國際交流中心將擔(dān)負(fù)起曹禺戲劇文化的日常研究、品牌推廣運(yùn)作和文化產(chǎn)業(yè)開發(fā)等職責(zé)，通過縱向深入與橫向聯(lián)動(dòng)，實(shí)現(xiàn)曹禺品牌打造的“國際化”?！皯騽⌒℃?zhèn)”也奠基了，這是曹禺文化旅游城的重要組成部分，小鎮(zhèn)凸顯潛江獨(dú)特的風(fēng)貌、風(fēng)尚與風(fēng)情，是人們體驗(yàn)潛江的最佳去處。

6年來，為潛江市文化藝術(shù)和教育事業(yè)蓬勃發(fā)展作出積極貢獻(xiàn)的上海戲劇學(xué)院，再次與潛江市人民政府簽訂戰(zhàn)略合作協(xié)議，雙方將在深化曹禺文化品牌、推出特色藝術(shù)作品、加強(qiáng)藝術(shù)人才培養(yǎng)、推動(dòng)藝術(shù)專業(yè)建設(shè)四個(gè)方面開展深入合作交流。

潛江市市委書記吳祖云說，簽約促成雙方優(yōu)勢(shì)互補(bǔ)、互利雙贏，有助于潛江繼承發(fā)揚(yáng)與創(chuàng)新發(fā)展戲劇文化，為潛江的經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)發(fā)展和文化事業(yè)振興起到強(qiáng)勁的推進(jìn)作用。

戲劇文化是中國優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)文化，也是中國人民喜聞樂見的藝術(shù)形式，是人民生活幸福的重要組成，潛江立足曹禺，繼承和發(fā)揚(yáng)中國戲劇文化，這是潛江自我打造的獨(dú)特途徑。在過去的幾年中，德國、英國、美國、法國等國政要都曾訪問過潛江，尋求與潛江開展合作的機(jī)會(huì)和空間。潛江戲劇文化平臺(tái)將成為湖北乃至中國溝通世界各國文化的橋梁，期待世界各國戲劇界來潛江互訪交流，品嘗小龍蝦和蝦鄉(xiāng)稻。

Concert “Echoes of the Yellow River” performed by the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra, part of the Cao Yu Cultural Festival文化周活動(dòng)之天津交響樂團(tuán)《黃河回響》音樂會(huì)

The troupe attracted Cao Yu’s attention because of its impressive performances in Beijing time and again. WhenA Family Casecame onto the stage, Cao Yu sat among the audience and watched attentively, clapping and cheering from time to time. At the end of the performance, Cao Yu strode to the podium excitedly, shook hands with the actors, and said, “I’m so happy to see my hometown folks that I could cry.” He praised the performance and invited everyone to visit his home. Cao Yu was very pleased that Qianjiang, his ancestral home, could have such an excellent drama troupe. Although he never lived in Qianjiang in person, Cao Yu was impressed by Qianjiang’s love of the opera culture. During his hospitalization, he wrote the article “I Am a Qianjiang Native,” two paragraphs of which went like this:

For many years, I have been like an isolated bird without a habitat. I traveled to many places, and nowhere feels like my hometown, the birthplace of my parents. I have been like a bird flying north and south, over mountains, rivers, and plains... I’ve seen many people and heard many accents, familiar and unfamiliar, yet none of which sounds so cordial and endearinglike the words “Qianjiang man,” which warmed and lighted my heart. When someone asked me: “Where are you from?” I replied instantly: “Qianjiang.” I have never been to Qianjiang, but for nearly 80 years, I have been considering myself a Qianjiang native. I can’t tell where exactly this bond comes from. The words “I love Qianjiang” are not something vague for me, it’s as real as flesh and blood. It’s probably because of my parents’ voice and laughter, the style of the food I ate, and the Qianjiang atmosphere in my family when I was a baby, all of which made me feel like a Qianjiang native since I was young. As a saying goes, “The moon of one’s hometown is always the brightest.” I do think the moon in Qianjiang is better than that of anywhere else, which might sound a bit silly, but I guess hometown and homesickness are the reasons why we nurture our patriotism. When I was abroad and asked where I come from, I always proudly answered: “I’m from China!”

Having been ill for more than a year, I cannot leave the hospital even for one day. I regret missing such a grand meeting in Qianjiang this time. I feel that I don’t have many achievements in my life, not enough satisfactory works either; it’s the affection of my folk people in Qianjiang that has made my drama so wonderful. As a literary and artistic worker, I am not worthy of so much love by my country fellows and friends. I want to thank my folk people, as well as the leaders, experts and scholars of Qianjiang.

From his letter we can see Cao Yu’s true love for Qianjiang, whose people came into his life and performed his works, and reminded him of his parents’ local accent in his childhood and made him feel a strong sense of love.

In 2006, the Qianjiang Huagu Opera Troupe went abroad and had a successful performance in Germany and led to the establishment of a sister city relationship between Qianjiang and Heidenheim, Germany. In 2013, Wu Peiyi, head of the troupe, reimagined the traditional playThe Orphan of Zhaoand participated in an international academic exchange conference entitled Performing China on the Global Stage. In the past 30 years, more than 30 operas and more than 100 actors of the troupe have been awarded national, provincial, and municipal art awards.

Foundation stone laying ceremony of the Drama Town 戲劇小鎮(zhèn)奠基儀式

Shanghai Theater Academy and Qianjiang Municipal People’s Government signing a strategic agreement during the Cao Yu Cultural Festival曹禺文化周期間上海戲劇學(xué)院與潛江市人民政府簽署戰(zhàn)略協(xié)議

Qianjiang, the Capital of Opera

With its historical legacy of Huagu Opera and Cao Yu’s modern dramatic works, plus the local residents’ cultural awareness and inborn love for opera, Qianjiang City boasts a prominent position in the opera industry. Therefore, its reputation as the “Hometown of Chinese Huagu Opera” has been widely acclaimed and paved the way for the title of the “Capital of Opera.”

Locals in Qianjiang are proud of Mr. Cao. Cao Yu Park, Cao Yu Memorial Hall, Cao Yu Ancestral Residence, Cao Yu Grand Theater, Cao Yu Tea House, and Cao Yu Mausoleum were built in honor of him. Mr. Cao’s wife came in person to visit Qianjiang with their children, who have also established a close relationship with Qianjiang.

International students in front of Cao Yu Memorial Hall 留學(xué)生們?cè)诓茇o(jì)念館前合影留念

A docent introduces Cao Yu’s life to international students解說員向留學(xué)生介紹曹禺生平

An international student shooting a photo of an exhibit in Cao Yu Memorial Hall 留學(xué)生用手機(jī)拍下曹禺紀(jì)念館館藏

The China (Qianjiang) Cao Yu Cultural Festival is held once every 4 years to commemorate the great playwright, as well as to promote Chinese opera culture and popularize Qianjiang opera. After the first session was held in November of 2004, this year welcomed the fourth iteration of the event. Wan Gang, Cao Yu’s cousin, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of China Zhigong Party’s Central Committee, delivered a congratulatory video speech. He said that 2020 is the 110th anniversary of the birth of Mr. Cao Yu, and the China (Qianjiang) Cao Yu Cultural Festival is a meaningful event, which can promote the construction of Qianjiang as “the Capital of Opera” and enrich the cultural life of local people. He hopes the 4th China (Qianjiang) Cao Yu Cultural Festival will promote post-epidemic economic recovery and the development of Hubei Province and Qianjiang City, so that local people can enjoy a better life through economic, social, and cultural prosperity. As a result, Qianjiang can walk proudly towards the world and the world will know Qianjiang better.

Each session of the cultural festival has signaled steady progress in Qianjiang’s journey towards the “Capital of Opera.” On the evening of November 7, 2020, in order to express their respect to Mr. Cao Yu, 14 winners of the Plum Blossom Award, such as Liu Ping, Han Zaifen, Chen Qiaoru, Weng Guosheng, Xie Qunying, Hu Xinzhong, Wang Zhenyi, Li Xuefei, and the like, joined hands with more than 200 opera actors and actresses from various genres to co-perform the grand stage performance named “National Beauty in Full Bloom,” winning the applause of the audience with their delicate stage movement and charming facial expressions.

On November 8, Cao Yu Cultural Tourism City and Cao Yu Drama International Exchange Center was launched. They belong to a tourism route designed and created by the Qianjiang government and Zall, the cultural and tourism group. The center is to engage in academic research, brand promotion, and industrial development of Cao Yu’s drama works, in the hope of achieving the “internationalization” of the “Cao Yu brand” through multiple channels. The Drama Town under construction is an important part of the Cao Yu Cultural Tourism City project. The town will showcase the unique features, styles, and customs of Qianjiang, and will be an ideal place for people to experience Qianjiang.

In the past 6 years, Shanghai Theater Academy, which has made great contributions to the vigorous development of Qianjiang’s culture, art, and education, signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Qianjiang Municipal People’s Government. Both sides will conduct in-depth cooperation and exchanges in four areas: promoting the “Cao Yu Brand,” launching good works of art, strengthening the education of artistic talents, and pushing forward the construction of the art major.

Wu Zuyun, Secretary of the CPC Qianjiang Committee, said that the agreement will facilitate mutual strength and mutual benefit and help Qianjiang inherit and promote its opera culture in an innovative pattern, which will greatly improve Qianjiang’s economic, social, and cultural development.

A bird’s view of Cao Yu’s ancestral residence and Cao Yu Grand Theater 俯瞰曹禺祖居和曹禺大劇院

Opera is an outstanding traditional culture and a popular art form among Chinese people. It plays an important part in Chinese people’s identity and well-being. Based on Cao Yu’s drama, Qianjiang has inherited and developed Chinese drama culture, exploring a unique way to build itself. Over the past few years, politicians and leaders from Germany, Britain, the United States, France, and other countries have visited Qianjiang to seek opportunities for cooperation. The local drama culture will serve as a bridge for communication between Hubei Province, China, and other places around the world. Qianjiang hopes to become an international platform for drama and cultural exchanges where drama circles from all over the world can come to take in Chinese Opera and have a taste of local crayfish and rice.

(Translation: Lu Qiongyao)