A revolutionary approach

In early 2021, following its premiere, The Age of Awakening became a major hit among young Chinese. The 43-episode TV drama depicts pioneering Chinese intellectuals and young people in the early 1900s striving to save the nation, and recalls the bumpy road they traversed to establish the Communist Party of China in 1921.

Li Zhuoqun was one of the fans of the TV drama, which is credited with playing a positive role in educating young people about China's revolutionary history.

"Those revolutionary martyrs are portrayed vividly in the TV drama. They come alive and their stories are known by more people as a result," says Li, a young director who is known for creating a market for traditional Chinese operas, such as Peking Opera, in small theaters.

At that time, Li was preparing for her first collaboration with the Yangju Opera Troupe of Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, a troupe headquartered in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, which dedicates itself to the performance and promotion of Yangju Opera — a traditional Chinese opera style with a history dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that originated in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. The ancient art form, like many other traditional Chinese operas, brings together music, dance, literature, martial arts and acrobatics. It's popular in Shanghai, as well as Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

Riding the wave of the show's popularity, Li and the troupe decided to create an original Yangju Opera piece based on the life story of Chen Yannian, one of the characters featured in the TV drama, played by young actor Zhang Wanyi.

The production, titled Chen Yannian 1927, will be premiered in Nanjing on Saturday, and will tour the nation thereafter.

"The reason why we created a show about Chen Yannian is that his life story is full of drama, and because of the popularity of the TV drama, he has a loyal fan following," says Li, who also wrote the script for the new Yangju Opera piece, adding that when the creative team did its research on Chen, they found that, in 1927, he was named the first secretary of Jiangsu provincial committee, the year when, along with the Zhejiang provincial committee, it was established by the Communist Party of China Central Committee following Chiang Kai-shek's purging of CPC members on April 12, 1927.

"With courage and determination, the young man sacrificed his life for the country. We hope that young audiences will like the show and learn the story of Chen, while getting to know Yangju Opera," Li adds.

Born in 1898 in Anqing, Anhui, Chen was the eldest son of Chen Duxiu, one of the key founders of the CPC. In 1915, Chen Yannian was enrolled in Shanghai French School, studying French, and in 1917, he began studying law at Aurora University in Shanghai.

In December 1919, he went to France to work and study. In 1923, he studied in Moscow and, in that same year, became a member of the CPC. A year later, he returned to Shanghai.

The Yangju Opera piece, Chen Yannian 1927, follows Chen Yannian in the days after he was appointed secretary of the Jiangsu provincial committee. Li employed a method often used in movies — that of flashbacks — to depict Chen Yannian's memories about his life and hopes as a CPC member.

"On June 26, 1927, a meeting of the Jiangsu provincial committee was held to mark the appointment of Chen Yannian as its first secretary. That afternoon he was arrested and, nine days later, he was killed by the enemy in Shanghai at the age of 29," says Li.

"There was a very touching and sad moment when the executioners ordered Chen Yannian to kneel and he replied loudly: 'The revolutionaries are upright and honorable and face death without fear'. He was brutally pushed down onto the ground and killed. The scene was also portrayed in the TV drama, which will be presented onstage as part of the Yangju Opera production," Li adds.

Li, who was born in Linfen, Shanxi province, to a family which worked in the local folk opera, has been part of the Jingju Theater Co of Beijing since her graduation from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts over a decade ago. Jingju, also known as Peking Opera, is a traditional Chinese art form with a history of over 200 years.

Like many young people of her age, Li loves watching TV dramas and movies, which also helps her gain a different perspective when it comes to her own work. Her fresh and unique style of storytelling and directing has won her lots of fans.

"Usually people consider traditional Chinese operas to be old-fashioned and boring. However, we have gained a large fan base with our productions at small theaters, which are contemporary, pioneering and have proved to be very popular among younger audiences.

"Our team has also made the Yangju Opera very modern, immersive and as engaging as hit movies and TV dramas," Li says. "We make it seem more like a thriller."

According to Wang Xiaobing, director of the Yangju Opera troupe, the ensemble was founded in 1953 and, in its 70-year history, has experienced a loss of talent over a protracted period, which has hindered the development of the troupe and the ancient art form.

"In 2015, we recruited new students and trained them. In 2021, they graduated and started performing with the troupe, with the youngest actor being only 18 years old," says Wang, adding that all the new actors and actresses were born after 2000. "When we prepared for the new production, the younger members of the troupe learned about Chen Yannian and they felt a resonance with him, since he was of a similar age, but lived a short life."

Wang notes that, compared to some other traditional Chinese operas, such as Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera, Yangju Opera appeals to a minority. After he became the head of the troupe in 2021, the vision has been to revive the ancient art form and expand its fan base.

In 2022, the troupe announced four new productions, including Chen Yannian 1927, all with the aim of attracting a younger audience.