Overview
Introduction
Fang Zhimin is the ninth Chinese opera commission for NCPA, which highlights the Communist Fang Zhimin who 'dies a glorious death for the revolution'. For decades, the story of Fang Zhimin is successively told on drama stage, movies and TV plays. The famous masterpiece Lovely China, authored by him with life and righteous ardor, always exerts profound impacts. Year of 2015 marks the 80th Anniversary of Fang Zhimin's Martyrdom. Famous composer Meng Weidong, scriptwriters Feng Baiming and Feng Bilie, conductor Lü Jia, director Liao Xianghong, stage designer Gao Guangjian, costume/style designer Chen Tongxun and other first-class creation personnel, invited by NCPA, make great efforts to unveil the first opera version in commemoration of the great hero Fang Zhimin and show reverence for Lovely China.
Synopsis
The opera follows the keynote of Fang Zhimin's masterpiece Lovely China, and bridges two space-times of 'the Present' and 'the Past' by means of characters' ideological conflicts and emotional impacts.
'The Present' highlights that Fang Zhimin continues the fight in another 'more tenacious way' in jail: in face of torture and trial in jail, military judge Hu Yi's attempt of 'guide' to 'destroy faith' or 'meeting with his wife Miao Min in jail' as bait, Fang Zhimin is always unyielding... Through a series of soul struggle, he not only makes the interrogators flog a dead horse, but also impresses Hu Yi with his personal charms. Hu Yi promises to help Fang Zhimin deliver the works he finished in prison.
'The Past' focuses on the events with greatest impact on Fang Zhimin at different stages to prove his personality: knowing the impossibilities but persevering, he protects the Central Red Army and exhausts his supplies and ammunition. In Northeastern Jiangxi Revolutionary Base, in spite of his mother's crying and his own inner pain, he punishes his own relations in the cause of justice, and defends the Soviet dignity. Burning with anger for sign board of 'the Chinese and dogs are not allowed' in Bund Park, he vows to fight against foreign aggression and restore lost territory of China.
In the last moments of his life, space-times of 'the Present' and 'the Past' blend in one. At the same time, Fang Zhimin's dream in Lovely China with striking literary grace has already come true one by one in today’s China.
