Fuzhou Hosts an International Symposium on the Cultural Dissemination of Drama Master Tang Xianzu

This newspaper reports, by Liang Jiatian: On the evening of December 20, 2016, at the Tang Xianzu Grand Theater in Fuzhou, China, a “Du Liniang’s Homecoming to Visit Relatives” gala was being staged. One after another, leading performing‑arts troupes brought their interpretations of Du Liniang, the heroine of The Peony Pavilion, to Fuzhou from across the country—her hometown—where Tang Xianzu once penned his immortal “Four Dreams of Linchuan.” Through Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Yue Opera, Huangmei Opera, Sichuan Opera, Gan Opera, Xuhe Gaoqiang, ballet, and physical theater, they presented audiences with a portrait of Du Liniang that, though varied in style, shone with equal brilliance. This event served as a prelude to the 2016 International Symposium on the Cultural Dissemination of Master Tang Xianzu, co‑hosted by the Chinese Association for Literary and Art Criticism, the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera, and the People’s Government of Fuzhou City, and organized by the Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, the China Literary and Art Criticism (National Opera) Base, and the Fuzhou Tang Xianzu International Research Center.

In September this year, Fuzhou City successfully hosted the “2016 China–Fuzhou Tang Xianzu Drama Works and International Summit Academic Forum,” which garnered significant attention both at home and abroad. On December 20–21, the Fuzhou Municipal Government, in collaboration with the Chinese Association of Literary and Art Critics and the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera, organized the 2016 International Symposium on the Cultural Dissemination of the Dramatic Master Tang Xianzu, along with the “Du Liniang Returns Home to Visit Her Relatives” gala. This event represents a concrete step taken by the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government to wholeheartedly build Fuzhou into the “Capital of Chinese Opera.” On the morning of the 21st, nearly 60 experts and guests—including Chen Yingxian, a bureau‑level inspector with the Department of Culture and Science of the Ministry of Culture; Zhang Hongxing, Mayor of Fuzhou; Lu Kan, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association of Literary and Art Critics; Gong Yu, Secretary of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera; Jiang Tonglin, Executive Vice President of the Chinese Society for Dramatic Literature; Wan Su, Vice President of the Chinese Society for Traditional Opera; Zou Yuanjiang, Vice President of the Tang Xianzu Research Association of the Chinese Society for Traditional Opera; Xie Bailiang, Director of the Chinese Base for Literary Criticism; and Wu Fengchu, Director of the Fuzhou International Research Center for Tang Xianzu—attended the 2016 International Symposium on the Cultural Dissemination of the Dramatic Master Tang Xianzu. In his welcoming address, Zhang Hongxing stated that, as the hometown of Master Tang, Fuzhou should naturally play an active role in advancing and enriching Tang studies, as well as in inheriting and promoting the cultural legacy of Tang Xianzu. In his remarks, Lu Kan emphasized that, as Tang Xianzu’s native land, Fuzhou has undertaken extensive and highly effective efforts in the research, preservation, and dissemination of Tang Xianzu’s cultural heritage.

At the 2016 International Symposium on the Cultural Dissemination of Tang Xianzu, chaired by Liu Jujiao, Vice Chair of the Fuzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, enthusiastic addresses were delivered by Gong Yu, Secretary of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera; Chen Yingxian, Inspector of the Department of Culture and Science of the Ministry of Culture; Wan Su, Vice President of the Chinese Society for Traditional Opera; Zou Yuanjiang, Vice President of the Tang Xianzu Research Association of the Chinese Society for Traditional Opera; and Jiang Tonglin, Executive Vice President of the Chinese Society for Dramatic Literature. Professor Xie Bailiang, Director of the Chinese Literary Criticism Base, presented a keynote speech titled “The Rise of an Internationalized ‘Tang Studies.’” During the panel discussion, experts engaged in lively exchanges, each offering their perspectives on the theme of “Research and Dissemination of Tang Xianzu’s Cultural Legacy.” Participants unanimously agreed that, by leveraging Tang Xianzu as a cultural symbol of the Chinese nation, they should pool their respective strengths and integrate resources, fostering sincere collaboration to deepen the study and promotion of Tang Xianzu’s work—ensuring that this master of Chinese opera remains relevant today and continues to make distinctive contributions to contemporary Chinese culture and to human civilization at large.

At the 2016 International Symposium on the Cultural Dissemination of Tang Xianzu, the Fuzhou Municipal Government also signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Opera.