Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Opera House

Dates: December 21-25, 2017

Duration: Approximate 195 mins (Intermission Included)

About

In order to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, National Centre for the Performing Arts spared no effort to invite the domestic first-class artists including YIN Qing, ZOU Jingzhi and TIAN Qinxin to constitute the creative team to create the Chinese opera commission The Long March. The opera The Long March has lasted four year since its creation preparations. This operation loyally reproduces the hard process of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasant’s Red Army’s Long March with the realism technique, eulogizes the Red Army’s sublime faith to struggle and sacrifice for the ideal and faith and cherishes the memory of the Long March. Based on historical facts, librettist ZOU Jingzhi has fully presented the spirit of the Long March.

The whole opera has six acts of nine scenes in total, with over 30 dramatic personages and the chorus of hundreds of people. The great history of Long March ensures our today’s peaceful life, and each note of the spirit of the Long March contains the era factor and has the inspiring and shocking spiritual strength. Let’s walk into NCPA and review this period of sufferings and glory through the artistic charm of the opera.

Synopsis

After the failure of the 5th counter-campaign against encirclement and suppression in October 1934, the Red Army is about to depart from Ruijin. After receiving the transfer order, Commander ZENG and Commissar PENG from a regiment of the Central Red Army cannot bear to abandon the sick and wounded to the enemy. Doctor HONG, Commissar PENG's wife, also stays to look after them. After the Xiangjiang River Campaign, the Red Army enters Zunyi and gets a chance to consolidate. The Zunyi Meeting Announcement is proclaimed late that night, which marks a historic turning point in the Chinese revolution. Chased by the enemy, the soldiers start a raid of 120 km over the course of an entire day. They seize Luding Bridge marking the successful breakout. Ping Yazi, a young soldier, bravely tastes the wild plants but is poisoned and dies a heroic death. When the Red Army joined forces in Huining, Commissar PENG receives the last letter from Doctor HONG. This letter motivates the soldiers. The opera ends with the chorus Long live the Long March.