Expert Interview from the Tang Xianzu Academic Symposium (No. 9) | Xu Aizhu: Let the Tang Xianzu Cultural Brand Resonate Across the World

“It is a great honor to have participated in every session of the Tang Xianzu Academic Symposium. In recent years, Fuzhou has achieved remarkable results in advancing the development of theatrical culture and in the study of Tang Xianzu’s legacy,” said Xu Aizhu, a professor at the School of Humanities of East China Jiaotong University, in an exclusive interview with a reporter on November 11 during the 2022 China (Fuzhou) Tang Xianzu Academic Symposium.

Xu Aizhu believes that the Tang Xianzu Academic Symposium has provided a valuable opportunity for Fuzhou to build a city‑wide cultural brand centered on Tang Xianzu, while also offering rich insights and lessons for shaping and promoting such a brand. Through institutionalized organization, each session of the symposium has showcased the latest advances in contemporary research on Tang Xianzu’s legacy, presenting them to the world with high quality and at a distinguished level.

Xu Aizhu stated that, as the hometown of Tang Xianzu, Fuzhou is hosting this high‑level international academic symposium with the aim of promoting Tang Xianzu’s cultural legacy on the global stage. The goal is to delve deeply into the rich treasure trove of Tang Xianzu’s culture, elevate Tang studies to new heights, and spread his cultural influence worldwide, thereby making Tang Xianzu’s hometown even more vibrant and illustrious.

Xu Aizhu highly commended the achievements made in recent years in building the Tang Xianzu cultural brand in our city. She noted that the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee and the Fuzhou Municipal Government have integrated the development of the Tang Xianzu cultural brand into the city’s overall work. As evidence, it is precisely thanks to the strong support of the CPC Fuzhou Municipal Committee and the Fuzhou Municipal Government that the Tang Xianzu cultural brand has established a distinct identity, and the people of Fuzhou take great pride in having the renowned dramatist Tang Xianzu as one of their own.

(Reporter Li Jiang)