The Chinese Academy of Opera has created a large-scale original Peking Opera "The Lately Opened Mountain Dandan", which captures story clips from the Long March, and uses the group of "returners" to vividly show the glorious image of the Red Army, affectionately praise the original aspirations and mission of the Red Army soldiers under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, interpreting and demonstrating the power of belief. The play not only retains the literary characteristics of traditional opera lyrics, but also modernizes and innovates the lyrics and pronunciations, presenting a new Peking Opera modern drama full of youthful characteristics.

In the late autumn evening, in the rehearsal hall of the Chinese Academy of Opera, young actors were surrounding director Lu Yuyang to discuss the pace and rhythm of the "climbing the Snow Mountain" clip. This scene is a microcosm of the original Peking Opera "The Lately Opened Mountain Dandan". This team of students with an average age of less than 25 years old, with awe and imagination of the Long March, looks for the resonance between red history and modern aesthetics in the programmatic performance of traditional Peking Opera.

Narrative innovation: Small incisions show big history

After the bloody battle in Xiangjiang River, four Red Army soldiers fell behind for special reasons: Zhang Xiuying (a party member who is about to give birth), Bai Rong (a fragile health worker), Zhu Zi (a straightforward trumpeter), and Lao Liutou (a honest cook). On the way back to the team, they rescued the enemy soldier Wang Yougen, and finally influenced him to join the Red Army. The plot shows the glory of human nature and revolutionary belief on the Long March through the context of "Left behind - Mutual Help - Influence - Returning to the Team".

During the process of collecting information, the screenwriter was touched by a passage recorded in the information: a large number of Red Army soldiers fell behind due to injuries, childbirth, etc. during the Long March. The creative team realized that these "leftover" stories may be as touching as the battle on the front battlefield. Therefore, "The Lately Opened Mountain Dandan" abandons the grand narrative and takes the journey of four fallen Red Army returning to the team after the bloody battle of Xiangjiang River as a cut-off to build a dialogue between a micro perspective and macro history. The four protagonists have a symbolic setting: the incoming Communist Party member Zhang Xiuying carries the double test of faith and motherhood, the health worker Bai Rong reflects the growth and transformation of the revolutionaries, the trumpeter Zhuzi injects youthful vitality into the story, and the cook Liutou shows his persistence in the ordinary. This characterization brings the revolutionary hero back to flesh and blood individuals.

The enemy soldier king who was rescued on the way back to the team has become the best footnote to the appeal of revolutionary ideals. This narrative allows the audience to understand the spiritual core of red culture through the emotional resonance through the dramatic tension of human nature. The elixir flowers all over the mountains at the end are not only the successful bloom of natural images, but also the poetic sublimation of revolutionary beliefs.

This still is a scene in the play

Art Fusion: The Symphony of Traditional Programs and Modern Aesthetics

The original Peking Opera "The Lately Opened Mountain Dandan" shows lively creativity in form innovation. Director Lu Yuyang's team boldly transformed the literary characteristics of Peking Opera rhyme.

The play changes traditional rhyme to Beijing white, making the lines more understandable and close to the contemporary context, and enhances emotional resonance with colloquial expression; on the basis of traditional Xipi and Erhuang, folk song elements are incorporated. In post-production, the keyboard sounds and the Beijing-Hu sounds are one after another. Director Lu Yuyang proposed: "The Xipi flowing water in traditional Peking Opera is too regular. Adding the dragging theme of folk songs may make the emotions longer. Just like the footsteps on the Long March, only when there is a hurry and slowness can the true meaning be seen." Therefore, the melody of "The Horse and Sang Trees Build the Lantern" appears repeatedly on the stage, creating a desolate and firm atmosphere; the regional music style is used to shape the image of the shepherd, so that the local atmosphere and revolutionary narrative are perfectly integrated.

The stage design breaks through the boundaries of real and virtuality of traditional opera, and the freehand mountain silhouettes show the difficult environment during the Long March. Through the setting combined with multimedia technology and real scenes, a tragic atmosphere of the bloody battle of the Xiangjiang River and the arduous atmosphere of snow-capped mountains and grasslands is created. The use of lighting is particularly excellent, using alternate warm and cold colors to enhance dramatic conflicts, such as using hot red light to symbolize revolutionary beliefs, and using cold blue light to set off the evil environment.

Spiritual inheritance: Let the spirit of the Long March shine into young souls

This drama successfully realizes the dual encoding of red culture: it not only retains the solemnity of revolutionary narratives, but also gives it a youthful interpretation. Zhang Xiuying's choice to entrust her newborn to her fellow villagers, subliminating personal sacrifice into collective belief; Bai Rong's growth from cowardice to firmness reflects the intergenerational transmission of the revolutionary spark. These plot designs make the "Long March Spirit" no longer an abstract concept in history textbooks, but a concrete manifestation into a sensible and cognizable life experience.

There are even many characters in the play that are intertwined with the actors. Each actor integrates his hard work and hard work into the role. "Just like when we practice body shape, even if we fall and hurt, we have to grit our teeth and do it again."

This still is a scene of Zhang Xiuying saying goodbye to her fellow villager after she was crying and holding her pain.

Dialogue of the times: A new voice from the perspective of youth

The average age of the creative team of "The Lately Opened Mountain Dandan" is less than 25 years old. This youthful perspective gives the work a unique atmosphere of the times. The student team reconstructs history from a youthful perspective and attracts young audiences through innovative artistic techniques.

The drama creation process is not smooth sailing. How to balance tradition and modernity, how to make historical figures more affinity, and how to complete difficult stage designs with limited resources. During the rehearsal, student director Lu Yuyang repeatedly studied party history materials, combining academic rigor with artistic creativity, and achieving a balance between historical reality and artistic reality. The actors' modern interpretations of the role, such as Zhuzi's straightforward body language and Lao Liu's simple lines, eliminate the aesthetic barrier between traditional opera and young audiences.

When the curtain of "The Lately Blooming Mountain Dandan" fell, the "Shandan Dandan Flower" on the stage took root in the hearts of the audience. This young creative team proved with actions that the red theme is not a simple historical reproduction, but needs to be deconstructed and resonated from the perspective of contemporary people.

[Editor in charge: Yue Xiangzhi]