The 2025 Chinese Opera Gala (Kunshan) kicked off in Kunshan, Jiangsu province on the evening of September 8.
The event is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government; co-hosted by the Art Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government; and co-organized by the People’s Government of Kunshan, and the Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism.
The event, attended by a host of renowned artists, presents a thriving picture of traditional Chinese opera. A total of 53 troupes across the country, comprising more than 3,000 performers and staff members, will give 39 shows containing 107 traditional theatrical pieces in 31 categories.
The performances feature a wide range of roles such as sheng (male), dan (female), jing (painted-face), and chou (clown). In addition to the widely-known genres of opera like Peking Opera, Yue Opera, Kunqu Opera, and Wu Opera, rare and endangered forms such as Datong Shuahai'er and Guangling Yangge from Shanxi province are also on the performance list. Classic traditional theatrical pieces and outstanding new works enhance each other’s charm, bringing the dynamic and vivid opera art directly to the grassroots — making every corner of life filled with operas.
The participating artists are of different generations. Among them are both senior artists and emerging stars, including 36 winners of the Wenhua Award, Plum Blossom Award and Magnolia Award. A number of outstanding young performers will demonstrate the sustaining appeal of traditional Chinese opera and the young generations’ enthusiasm for carrying it forward.
In addition to the performances given by the roles of sheng, dan, jing, and chou, 20 Wusheng (martial art) performers selected from around the country will participate in 10 shows, each performing two opera highlights. And 48 actors and actresses who are candidates of the National Leading Opera Talent Training Program in 2024 and 2025 will perform in 15 opera highlights shows.
At the opening ceremony, the sponsors conferred the commemorative certificates to the candidates of the National Leading Opera Talent Training Program this year and organizations with projects included in the 2020-2024 Outstanding Opera Creation Cases Selected by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Since 2018, Kunshan has hosted the Chinese Opera Gala (Kunshan) for six times. The gala has showcased 348 types of drama along with puppetry and shadow plays, bringing about the “happy reunions” of traditional Chinese drama.
The 2025 edition of the gala, scheduled to last till September 20, comprises five main components: the opening and closing ceremonies; the joint performances of Wusheng performers; the invitational show of excellent opera pieces; opera lectures; and the campaign for protection and inheritance of endangered genres of opera. Other activities include: opera promotion and exchange activities; the Tour to Opera themed “Enjoy Over One Hundred Theatrical Dramas and Explore Jiangsu”; opera-themed exhibition; the fair of opera-inspired chic projects and products; and digital opera promotions. The aim is to promote protection, inheritance and development of traditional Chinese opera art, and infuse new vitality into it in the new era.
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