The actor came to Shanghai in July to perform two films at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
In less than a week, Peking Opera master Song Xiaochuan had two films appear at the Shanghai International Film Festival. In the Peking Opera film "The Golden Chamber", he played the supporting role of Zhang Huoding; in the youth film "Daocang" about life in a drama school, he transformed himself into the "drama fanatic" Zhang Yongming. From July 20 to 21, the Peking Opera "Entering Beijing" starring Song Xiaochuan and others will be performed at Wanping Theater, performing the legend of Peking Opera artists on stage.
"Entering Beijing" was created and staged by the Nanjing Peking Opera Troupe in 2023. It was selected as an outstanding play at the 10th China Peking Opera Art Festival and received funding from the National Arts Fund in 2024. The play is adapted from the film script "Entering Beijing" which took playwright Zou Jingzhi six years to polish. It tells the story of the young martial arts actor Wang Changsheng during the Qianlong period. He was the hope of the Yangzhou Chuntai Troupe. He was unwilling to be a humble opera artist and encountered many disasters. Yue Jiu, a famous actor in Beijing, was expelled and fled to Yangzhou. The two opera geniuses met too late and became master and apprentice and Shengdan partners. The scarred Wang Changsheng stood up again and was willing to fight for the dignity of opera artists.
"Entering Beijing" is directed by Lu Ang, a doctoral supervisor at the Shanghai Theatre Academy, written by Wei Rui, a young Shanghai playwright, and composed and designed by Zhu Shaoyu, a national first-class composer. It brings together talented actors from old, middle-aged and young generations, including Song Xiaochuan, Zhou Enxu, Wang Can, Wang Ying, Guo Hejun, Zhang Xunsong and Li Hui. The famous singer Tu Honggang sang the theme song MV of "Entering Beijing", which has been played over 50 million times on the Douyin platform alone.
Lu Ang concluded that "Entering Beijing" "writes the epic and journey of Peking Opera inheritors". The creative team of "Entering Beijing" tells the ancient story to modern people through typical, fragmented and integrated content dissemination. "'Entering Beijing' is not limited to the meaning of the play. Everyone will have their own 'entering Beijing' moment in their life. Every 'entering Beijing' is an awakening of consciousness, and every 'entering Beijing' is a breakthrough of self."
After the performance at Wanping Theater, "Entering Beijing" will also be staged at Hangzhou Baiyue Butterfly Theater, Beijing National Grand Theater, Tianjin Haihe Theater and Guan Hanqing Grand Theater in Baoding, Hebei.