STORY: Theatrical extravaganza opens in south China's Guangxi
SHOOTING TIME: April 20, 2024
DATELINE: April 22, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:03
LOCATION: NANNING, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of drama performance
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHEN YING, Actress, National Theater of China
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YI KEYING, Volunteer, Guangxi Normal University
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): JIA JIANLI, Actor, Sichuan People's Art Theater

STORYLINE:

A one-month theatrical extravaganza kicked off at Guangxi Provincial Art Center in Guilin, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday night.

The event will showcase 39 Chinese theatrical productions in Nanning and Guilin to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Southwest Drama Exhibition, which since its debut in 1944 has become a phenomenon.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): CHEN YING, Actress, National Theater of China
"Drama is a very good form of artistic expression, which can bring China's 5,000-year-old history to the stage, and let more young people understand Chinese culture through theatrical art."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YI KEYING, Volunteer, Guangxi Normal University
"The set, the actors' performance, and some of their prop designs are very good and inspiring."

Eighty years ago, Ouyang Yuqian and Tian Han, two celebrated Chinese dramatists, jointly launched the Exhibition of Dramatic Arts, which brought together over 30 theater companies and more than 1,000 theater artists, presenting over 170 plays in nearly 100 days.

Renamed the Southwest Drama Exhibition, the event garnered widespread acclaim, particularly for its role in uplifting spirits during the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945).

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): JIA JIANLI, Actor, Sichuan People's Art Theater
"This event embodies the commitment of our theatrical artists through generations. Now the younger generations of dramatists have taken the stage. In today's society, they play a very important role in cultural inheritance. And I look forward to more plays with greater influence."

Of the 39 works, 22 theatrical productions will be available for live-streaming online, providing a broader audience with access to this cultural extravaganza.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nanning, China.
(XHTV)