China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, guides revival of Mao Zedong's favourite opera
First lady gave artistic guidance on staging White-Haired Girl, which will tour country
First lady Peng Liyuan is helping to stage a revival of a folk tale opera based upon peasantry struggle and said to be among Mao Zedong's favourites, a local news portal reports.
was scheduled to premiere yesterday in Yanan , the revolutionary base of the Communist Party, in Shaanxi province, according to
The troupe will then take the show around the nation, with 21 performances slated in 10 cities.
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The Ministry of Culture is organising the project, and Peng - a former singer with the People's Liberation Army - had given artistic guidance on the project, according to the report.
The opera tells the story of the suffering local peasantry - especially the women - experienced throughout the late years of the Qing dynasty to the 1920s.
It was first performed in Yanan 70 years ago and different versions - including ballet treatments - continued to be staged for decades.
Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, designated it one of eight model literary and artistic works after the late chairman saw it in Shanghai and spoke of it with admiration.
