Venue: Theater
Dates: October 17-18, 2018
About
The story begins with students of Yangming Academy in Shaoxing Prefecture, Ming Dynasty discussing about a poem. Among the students, WANG Shouren comes up with his philosophy of the mind. After marriage he pays a visit to his teacher LOU Liang with bridal gifts and his teacher's daughter LOU Ling receives him. They talk about poetry and aspirations, forging a profound friendship.
WANG's memorial to the throne that suggests, “looking into people's feelings and hopes, solving political issues and recruiting talents” is held back by LIU Jin, the eunuch in powers. After WANG refuses to shine up to LIU, WANG is famed up for resisting the imperial power and belittling the emperor’s intelligence. As a result, WANG is punished by flogging 40 times and is demoted to a post official in Longchang, Guizhou. With wounds he leaves for Guizhou, but he gets nearly killed by two imperial guards half way there. Luckily, LOU Ling sends him a servant from thousands of miles away and helps him to arrive in Longchang after going through the mill in Yangming Cave in Longchang, WANG locks himself in a stone coffin for three days and three nights to talk with ancient sages, asking them for the truth, discussing with them and finally realizing the truth. Prince NING plots a rebellion against the state and wants to hire WANG. He forces WANG to give in by taking LOU Ling as the hostage. After knowing the situation, she helps WANG runs away and suicides herself in a river. In the Poyang Lake Campaign, WANG defeats Prince NING by making use of “unity of knowledge and action”, the main idea of his philosophy of the mind. After that he has tens of thousands students, who learn the philosophy of the mind together.
Credits
General Consultants: YANG Weiqing, ZHU Jingzhi
Chief Planner: QIAN Qinghua
Planners: ZHANG Huijuan, HU Xinglin
Supervisor: WU Fenghua
Coordinators: WU Suying, YE Ruifang, YANG Lifang, CHEN Fei
Presenter: CHEN Jingao
Artistic Director: LI Chunxi
Playwright: MENG Hua
Director: YANG Xiaoqing
Music for Voices Designers: HU Mengqiao, XU Jianhang, REN Feng
Composers: WANG Tianming, YANG Haoping, WANG Bingfu
Set Designers: HU Zuo, YE Ruifang
Lighting Designers: ZHOU Zhengping, ZHU Shiming, HU Baogen, ZHAO Xinghua
Costume Designer: LAN Ling
Choreographer: JIANG Xinguang
Make-up Designer: DONG Yan
Props Designer: LIAN Cheng
Director Assistant: CHEN Wenting
Set Designer Assistant: XU Dingwei
Set Supervisor: YE Ruifang
Cast
WANG Yangming: WU Fenghua
LOU Ling: WU Suying
LIU Jin: YU Weiping
Prince Ning: LOU Huiqin
Touga: HE Menglai
Presenter
Shaoxing Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe
Founded in 1986, Shaoxing Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe has already created and rehearsed more than 40 Yue Operas and 50 opera highlights up to now. In 2012, invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Raccoon for A Prince participated in National Collective Performance for Local Outstanding Repertoires, and won “Award of Chinese Opera Society”. The new Yue opera work QU Yuan held the spotlight in the 3rd China Yue Opera Arts Festival and the 17th China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which was subsidized by China National Arts Fund in 2015. Yue Opera TV drama Incorruptible Prefecture Chief won the First Prize of the 9th China TV Drama Orchid Award. Moreover, Yue Opera film Raccoon for A Prince won “Outstanding Traditional Chinese Opera Film Award” of the 7th Zhejiang Film Phoenix Award.
