A new Peking Opera production titled "100-Plus Years of Shougang" is staged at the Chang'an Grand Theater in Beijing on Nov. 1, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Jingju Theater Company of Beijing]

A new Peking Opera production titled "100-Plus Years of Shougang" was staged at the Chang'an Grand Theater in Beijing from Nov. 1-3, offering a dramatic telling of the glorious history of China's iron and steel giant Shougang Group.

Co-produced by Jingju Theater Company of Beijing and Shougang Group, the production centers on the past 40 years of development of Shougang, from adopting the contract system to moving its Beijing plant to Caofeidian, Hebei province, and turning this former steel mill into Shougang Park, a venue for hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics.

A new Peking Opera production titled "100-Plus Years of Shougang" is staged at the Chang'an Grand Theater in Beijing on Nov. 1, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Jingju Theater Company of Beijing]

While in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, this new Peking Opera production was made to commemorate the 105 anniversary of Shougang. It tells the company's storied history, and showcases the great contributions of Chinese industrial workers, generation after generation, to building the country into an industrial power, said Zhao Minge, Party committee secretary and chairman of Shougang Group.

Zhang Wenzhe, former director of the Publicity Department of the Party Committee of Shougang Group, said he was quite excited to watch this innovative performance. "Peking Opera is our national opera. It's very meaningful to present the history of Shougang and the entrepreneurial spirit of Chinese workers in this quintessential Chinese art form," he said. "Most importantly, it will play a role in carrying forward our spirit and passing it down to the younger people."

A new Peking Opera production titled "100-Plus Years of Shougang" is staged at the Chang'an Grand Theater in Beijing on Nov. 1, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Jingju Theater Company of Beijing]

To improve the air quality in the capital, Shougang began relocating its operations from Beijing to neighboring Hebei province in 2005. "Since then, many of our employees had been relocated to different working sites. They are the witnesses and creators of the stories shown in the opera," Zhang said.

It is the first time that a modern Peking Opera production has shed light on the iron and steel industry, according to scriptwriter Huang Weiruo. "The lives of ordinary steel workers are the epitome of this industry and of the times, so their stories can bring the stage closer to our audience," he said.

Actor Zhang Jianfeng noted that it has been interesting to explore some innovative techniques in this performance. "Telling stories of our contemporary people, especially contemporary Beijing, is also our due responsibility," he said. “Thanks to the Beijing Winter Olympics, Shougang Park now enjoys worldwide fame and has become a landmark of Beijing. This remarkable transformation deserves our tribute."