Opera 'Romance in Songmaoling' vies for Wenhua prize

Chinese opera "Romance in Songmaoling" will be staged at Shanghai Culture Square on Monday and Tuesday, as part of the competition for this year's Wenhua Award at the 12th China Art Festival.

Songmaoling is in Changting County, western Fujian Province. The battle of Songmaoling was the last in a series of battles from September 1933 to October 1934.

Tens of thousands of people from Changting joined the Red Army to fight against Chiang Kai-shek’s Kuomintang. Most died on the battlefield.

Based on the true events, the opera is produced by the Opera and Dance Drama Theater of Fujian Province.

Lin Agen, featured in the performance, was one of the heroes of the battle. The drama portrays the love story between Lin and his wife Lai Amei. Before parting, Lai promises that she will follow the local tradition and make a suit of clothes and a pair of shoes for Lai every year until his safe return.

Ten months later, Lin is shot dead as Lai gives birth to their child named Lin Sijun. Knowing nothing of her husband’s death, Lai keeps her promise and makes clothes and shoes for several decades. Their son wants Lai to have a better life, but Lai refuses to move as she is waiting for her husband to come home.

With no other choice, the son shows her the certificate of martyrdom. The sorrowful Lai buries the clothes and shoes under the cenotaph.

“Emotion is the most significant point of the performance. Love is an eternal topic. Audiences easily connect to the revolution-related theme,” said Jin Miaomiao, director of the show and a previous winner of the Wenhua Directors Award.

Local costumes, architecture and tradition are as authentic as possible. The creative team and cast made a dozen field trips to Songmaoling.

“The performance shows Hakka culture. We visited museums and consulted folklorists about the costumes. The clothes that girls, young ladies and elderly women wear are different, along with their hairstyles,” said Jin. “The stage design also respects authenticity. The Red Army Bridge and Guanshou ancestral hall featured in the performance exist in reality. The ancestral hall is where the Red Army began the Long March.”