The drama "Warm Light" premiered in November, depicting the changes of Shanghai Workers' New Village over 70 years ago

The play "Warm Light" is based on the theme of Shanghai Workers' New Village, depicting the memories of an era and the flourishing development of the present. It premiered at YOUNG Theater from November 8th to 9th. On August 28th, the creative meeting was held in the 228 neighborhood of Yangpu.

Shanghai is the city where the first new worker village was born in the country, helping workers bid farewell to shantytowns and rolling dragons. At that time, most of the people who were able to move into the workers' new village were model worker and exemplary individual. They dragged a flatbed truck, carrying a small amount of belongings, and moved into the new workshop with the children jumping and cheering all the way. The building is brand new, the garden is lush, and each floor has a tap, a toilet, a shared kitchen and bathroom. Above the second floor, there are wooden floors, and when the windows are pushed open, there is bright sunshine... All of this greatly inspires the workers and enhances their enthusiasm for production.

228 Neighborhood Before Renovation

"Nuan · Guang" was created by Guan Yancao, a national level screenwriter who grew up in the Workers' New Village. Her father was the worker writer Guan Xinsheng, who published a long documentary literary work called "Workers' New Village - Another Narrative Memory of Shanghai". Director Shi Jun is also a drama doctor who came out of the Workers' New Village. From the perspective of "Worker's New Village", "Warm Light" describes the changes of the times from the early 1950s to the present. Through the ups and downs of the two brothers in the construction, expansion, and renovation of the worker's new village, it showcases the protagonist's life experiences of moving in, moving out, and moving back into the worker's new village, composing a song about the worker's new village.

Changbai New Village Phase II in the 1980s

Mao Shi'an and Chen Sihe, who had lived in the Workers' New Village, provided care and guidance for "Warm Light". Critic Mao Shi'an believes that it is timely for the drama to show the CPC's measures to effectively improve the living standards of the working class after the founding of New China by artistic means, and the theme fills a historical gap. Chen Sihe, a professor at Fudan University and president of the Writers Association in Yangpu District, proposed that the Workers' New Village is not only a historical nostalgia, but also a symbolic significance - the establishment of the People's Republic of China gave workers the status and consciousness of being masters, and strengthened the shaping of emotions between people in creation, highlighting the special significance of the Workers' New Village.

Putuo Caoyang New Village

Professor Yang Yang, Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Writers Association and President of the China Mao Dun Research Association, believes that Guan Yancao always revolves around Shanghai in his creations, focusing on the new village of workers and filling in the gaps in the theme of Shanghai. The three-stage structure fully supports the creation of "Warm Light". Rong Guangrun, former director of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, believes that the selection and conception of the script have its uniqueness. The Workers' New Village is a symbol, and "Warm Light" aims to express not only the material improvement, but also the spiritual expression of the working-class being the masters of their own affairs - the self-esteem and emotions of the working-class, as well as the poetic and symbolic significance hidden behind it. Luo Huaizhen, consultant of the China Dramatists Association and the China Literature and Art Critics Association, said that "Warm Light" is definitely for Shanghai people to watch, but it is also for outsiders to watch. It is for people who have lived in the Workers' New Village and have deep nostalgia, and for those who do not understand the Workers' New Village. It is also a historical context of Shanghai.

In the 1960s, Fangua Lane began to be transformed into the first five story worker's new village in Shanghai. The picture shows the residents of Fanggua Lane moving into their newly renovated homes. Now, a new round of renovation has begun in the Tanggua Lane

Hongkou Xingfu Village Renovation

The renovated Kongjiang New Village

As the earliest and largest industrial city in China, Shanghai has produced a number of masterpieces reflecting industry and the lives of workers. However, in recent years, works that touch on Shanghai's workers and industry have been relatively scarce. In the play "Warm Light", you can see a microcosm of this group's era. The author uses warm ink to write about the lives and progress of ordinary people from the 1950s, 1980s, new century to the present, writing a shared sentiment that belongs exclusively to Shanghai. "They are insignificant figures in history, and their lives do not have any thrilling legends. However, from their lives, it is enough to glimpse the transformation of a city. This is a change of the times, and it is a perseverance of hope." said the creative team.

"Warm Light" is produced by the Yangpu District Bureau of Culture and Tourism, and produced and performed by the Shanghai Modern People's Drama Society and the Shanghai New Literature and Art Base of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. This drama is a key funded project by the Shanghai Script Creation Center and a contracted writer project by the Shanghai Writers Association. It is also listed as a funded project under the 2023 Youth Assistance Program of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.