CCTV+: Dreams and Dramas in Tang Xianzu's Hometown

BEIJING,Nov. 9,2022 -- Fuzhou,a city in Jiangxi Province and hometown of Tang Xianzu (1550-1616),a celebrated playwright of the Ming Dynasty,has traditionally been known for its gifted scholars and profound culture. Leveraging its unique drama culture and resources,over recent years,the city has organized a range of cultural exchanges on drama to promote the Tang Xianzu brand,spread the cream of traditional Chinese culture,and better tell China's stories to the rest of the world,showcasing the contemporary charm of "China's City of Plays".

"Love once begun will never end. The lovers may die for love,the dead in love may revive." This beautiful line from The Peony Pavilion by Tang Xianzu has been sung for more than 400 years. This play,regarded as a gem of the world's theatrical art,is still popular on stages at home and abroad to date. "Culture is in the blood of a nation and is the soul of a city. Fuzhou has held fast to the cultural brand of Tang Xianzu's plays to drive progress in the drama culture." Over recent years,the city has hosted various cultural events,including Tang Xianzu Theater Festival & International Theater Exchange Month,the National Excellent High-Pitched Opera Repertoire Exhibition,the "Scent of Chinese Tea" National Tea-Picking Opera Extravaganza,Jiangxi Camellia Theatre Festival,and Jiangxi Cultural Tour Exhibition. Fuzhou has also created cultural exchange platforms to domestic and foreign drama cultures and boosting the influences of Fuzhou's cultural brands. Since 2016,the International Conference on Tang Xianzu has been an annual gathering of experts studying Tang Xianzu and has published such books as A History of Research on Tang Xianzu in the 20th Century and Selected Papers on Tang Xianzu in the 20th Century,and produced a wide range of research achievements,such as the Textual Research of the Original Record of Tang Xianzu's Family Tree,Tang Xianzu in 1592 and A Textual Study of Tang Xianzu's Ancestral Home.

After years of efforts and explorations,Tang Xianzu Theater Festival & International Theater Exchange Month has become a signature event of traditional Chinese culture and an attractive brand of international cultural exchange for Fuzhou and China. Fuzhou is making big strides toward building China's City of Plays for learning,watching,performing,evaluating,and writing theatre plays.