2024 Peking Opera Cultural Season kicks off

The 2024 Peking Opera Cultural Season was officially unveiled at the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater on November 8 and will run until December 23. During the season, an exciting array of activities will be held, inviting guests from all over the country to join in this grand celebration of Peking opera.

This year's event features three sections: "Blooming Youth" for traditional classics, "The Beauty of Youth" for creativity and innovation, and "Opera in Daily Life" for promoting public cultural benefits, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. It will bring together renowned Peking opera masters, academics, international friends, young students, Peking opera enthusiasts, and the general public. These events aim to encourage audiences to watch, recommend, and engage with Peking opera, enhancing Xicheng district's cultural brand as the birthplace of this traditional art, strengthening its cultural appeal, and using this treasured heritage to boost tourism and build the city into a capital of performing arts.

This year also marks the 130th anniversary of Mei Lanfang's birth and the 120th anniversary of Cheng Yanqiu's birth. To honor the two masters of Peking opera, the opening ceremony will feature classic opera performances like "Mu Guiying Takes Command" and "The Case of Executing Chen Shimei." Later, classic performances of Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu will be re-staged by artists, including those from the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing who have continued the performing styles founded by Mei and Cheng. There will also be other classic opera re-stagings, offering opera fans an impressive lineup of multiple performances across various works.

Xicheng was the birthplace of Peking opera, witnessing and recording the growth and performances of its numerous master performers. Historical sites, from the Sanqingyuan Theater, where the four major Hui troupes once contended for prominence, to the Zhengyici Peking Opera Theater, known as a living fossil of Chinese theaters, as well as Tan Xinpei's former residence at Dawailangying and Mei Lanfang's former residence on Huguosi Street, serve as landmarks in the development history of Peking opera in the district.