On November 15, the new Sichuan Opera "Ding Baozhen" created and arranged by the Chengdu Sichuan Opera Research Institute successfully premiered at the Chengdu Jinsha Performing Arts Center. The play is inspired by the famous late Qing Dynasty minister Ding Baozhen's deeds of overhauling Dujiangyan, and depicts his tenure as governor of Sichuan. The story of diligent service to the people, self-denial, integrity, and a clean family is vividly interpreted. What are the highlights of Sichuan Opera "Ding Baozhen"? The reporter interviewed the main creative staff of the show.
How can we tell the story of Ding Baozhen well? "First of all, you must know him well enough." Liao Shixiang, the screenwriter of the play, has a very profound insight into Ding Baozhen. He said: "Ding Baozhen's biggest characteristic is that he is honest and close to the people, and he is down-to-earth and hard-working. I don't want to confuse him with the formulaic group of honest and good officials, but Imagine polishing several facets like a diamond and blending them into one A dazzling and rich character. Among the people, he is a warm and considerate kind elder. The lyrics of the song "My blue sky is the people" fully reflect this; at home, he is a good example of cleanliness and self-discipline. Husband, good father, a happy little old man; in officialdom , he is both humorous and thunderous. He never preaches, always speaks with facts, and speaks with sincerity. His character is very three-dimensional.”
Wang Chao, the actor who plays Ding Baozhen, the person in charge of the project, and the deputy director of the Chengdu Sichuan Opera Research Institute, told reporters that in order to portray the role of Ding Baozhen, he repeatedly consulted historical materials, studied the script, and even shaved his head for the first time as an adult. "Ding Baozhen is a very representative official in Chinese history who is honest, diligent and does practical things for the people. Especially when he was the governor of Sichuan, he overhauled the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and benefited the people of Sichuan forever. He deserves to be remembered by Sichuan people. I like and admire him very much. This character," Wang Chao said with a smile, "I feel honored to be able to play Ding Baozhen this time. In addition to using the traditional artistic techniques of Sichuan Opera and my personal performance experience, I also combined it with real historical materials, hoping to portray Ding Baozhen’s character as well as possible.” In addition, Wang Chao believes that Ding Baozhen’s appointment as governor of Sichuan and the overhaul of Dujiangyan are closely related to Sichuan and the country. Chengdu has an indissoluble bond, which is very suitable to be expressed in Sichuan's most representative art form - Sichuan Opera.
In addition, the music of the play is also very distinctive. In order to highlight Ding Baozhen’s noble character and personality, composer Zhou Yu set a style positioning of “dominance, righteousness, and grandeur” in the early stages of creation. "I want to reflect Ding Baozhen's character through his music style of 'dominance, righteousness and grandeur'. He is upright and upright, cares about the people and protects the people. He is a very down-to-earth official who is deeply loved by the people. I hope Through singing and music, the play "Ding Baozhen" has an overall artistic presentation. Zhou Yu said, "In addition, in terms of the arrangement of the band, I adopted a combination of Chinese and Western arrangements. The band has more than 60 people. On the basis of the national orchestral music, I added other elements besides brass. Western orchestral music and double rows of keyboards make the music and singing of the whole play more rich, three-dimensional and majestic. On November 15, the new Sichuan Opera "Ding Baozhen" created and arranged by the Chengdu Sichuan Opera Research Institute successfully premiered at the Chengdu Jinsha Performing Arts Center. The play is inspired by the famous late Qing Dynasty minister Ding Baozhen's deeds of overhauling Dujiangyan, and depicts his tenure as governor of Sichuan. The story of diligent service to the people, self-denial, integrity, and a clean family is vividly interpreted. What are the highlights of Sichuan Opera "Ding Baozhen"? The reporter interviewed the main creative staff of the show. How can we tell the story of Ding Baozhen well? "First of all, you must know him well enough." Liao Shixiang, the screenwriter of the play, has a very profound insight into Ding Baozhen. He said: "Ding Baozhen's biggest characteristic is that he is honest and close to the people, and he is down-to-earth and hard-working. I don't want to confuse him with the formulaic group of honest and good officials, but Imagine polishing several facets like a diamond and blending them into one A dazzling and rich character. Among the people, he is a warm and considerate kind elder. The lyrics of the song "My blue sky is the people" fully reflect this; at home, he is a good example of cleanliness and self-discipline. Husband, good father, a happy little old man; in officialdom , he is both humorous and thunderous. He never preaches, always speaks with facts, and speaks with sincerity. His character is very three-dimensional.” Wang Chao, the actor who plays Ding Baozhen, the person in charge of the project, and the deputy director of the Chengdu Sichuan Opera Research Institute, told reporters that in order to portray the role of Ding Baozhen, he repeatedly consulted historical materials, studied the script, and even shaved his head for the first time as an adult. "Ding Baozhen is a very representative official in Chinese history who is honest, diligent and does practical things for the people. Especially when he was the governor of Sichuan, he overhauled the Dujiangyan Irrigation System and benefited the people of Sichuan forever. He deserves to be remembered by Sichuan people. I like and admire him very much. This character," Wang Chao said with a smile, "I feel honored to be able to play Ding Baozhen this time. In addition to using the traditional artistic techniques of Sichuan Opera and my personal performance experience, I also combined it with real historical materials, hoping to portray Ding Baozhen’s character as well as possible.” In addition, Wang Chao believes that Ding Baozhen’s appointment as governor of Sichuan and the overhaul of Dujiangyan are closely related to Sichuan and the country. Chengdu has an indissoluble bond, which is very suitable to be expressed in Sichuan's most representative art form - Sichuan Opera. In addition, the music of the play is also very distinctive. In order to highlight Ding Baozhen’s noble character and personality, composer Zhou Yu set a style positioning of “dominance, righteousness, and grandeur” in the early stages of creation. "I want to reflect Ding Baozhen's character through his music style of 'dominance, righteousness and grandeur'. He is upright and upright, cares about the people and protects the people. He is a very down-to-earth official who is deeply loved by the people. I hope Through singing and music, the play "Ding Baozhen" has an overall artistic presentation. Zhou Yu said, "In addition, in terms of the arrangement of the band, I adopted a combination of Chinese and Western arrangements. The band has more than 60 people. On the basis of the national orchestral music, I added other elements besides brass. Western orchestral music and double rows of keyboards make the music and singing of the whole play more rich, three-dimensional and majestic.” Chengdu Daily Jinguan News reporter Wu Yating Photos from Chengdu Sichuan Opera Research Institute Editor-in-charge Zeng Shurui Editor Yu Tanyang