China National Peking Opera Company (CNPOC) is one of the national ensembles of performance arts directly under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, People’s Republic of China. It was founded in January 1955, with Mr. Mei Lanfang as the first president in its history. Now, Mr. Wu Jiang, a notable dramatist, is the president of the CNPOC, which has three troupes; the Zhang Huoding Drama Studio and the Stage Center.
The CNPOC has been recruiting performance artists in various schools of Peking Opera as well as notable dramatists, directors, composers, stage artists, etc., to become one of the strongest ensembles in the field. Among them, performance masters Li Shaochun, Yuan Shihai, Ye Shenglan and Du Jinfang, director A Jia, dramatists Weng Ouhong and Fan Junhong have worldwide reputation.
In the last fifty years, the CNPOC produced more than 500 traditional or new dramas with different subjects and genres, forming its special artistic characteristics and styles with artistic strictness, fresh stage design and diversified schools. In the repertoire, Wild Pig Forest, Three Attacks on Zhu Village, At the Crossroad, Tale of the White Snake, The Mouth of Jiujiang River, Sun An Dong Ben, Xie Yaohuan, Mu Guiying in Command, Monkey King, Man Jiang Hong, Women Generals of the Yang Family, The Red Lantern, Chuncao Entering the Court, Die Lian Hua, Nightmare at the Han Palace，Royal Envoy on Thin Horse，Princess Turandot, Lujiang River and the Yi-shan Mountain are internationally popular.
In international and national cultural activities, more than 40 dramas and 100 persons won various prizes and awards, such as “Wen Hua Prize”, “Five Ones Project Prize”, “Mei Lanfang Gold Prize”, “Plum Blossom Prize” and “Gold Prize of the Chinese Peking Opera Festival”.
The CNPOC has the responsibility of international cultural exchange, and has had performance tours in more than 50 countries around the world, contributing to the friendship of Chinese people with people around the world and winning good international reputation.
(China.org.cn September 23, 2005)
