Theatrical productions celebrate liberation

Another production of the series is the Battle of Shanghai, an acrobatic show produced by the Shanghai Acrobat Troupe. It was performed at the Shanghai Culture Square on May 19 to 21, and a second round will take place on July 1 to 2 at Theatre Young.

The production, performing since 2019, will celebrate its 200th performance later this year, says Liang Hongjun, head of the company.

The show combines acrobatic stunts with innovative storytelling about the battles at a power plant on the eve of Shanghai's liberation. Battle of Shanghai "is a milestone in the creative development of acrobatics in China", Liang says.

A most important repertoire of the company, it has witnessed the development of new acrobatic talents.

"We are receiving young graduates from the Shanghai Acrobatic School. At the tender age of 16, they are participating in the upcoming performance, taking on the roles of young soldiers," he says.

With support from the China National Arts Fund, the production will kick off a new round of tours nationwide this year.

Zhang Huiqing, general manager of the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, says the company will present, from June 27 to July 1, The Age of Awakening, a play about China's patriotic intellectuals in the early 20th century struggling for a better future.

The Shanghai Puppet Theatre will present Sound of the Paperboy about the newsboys during the Liberation War in the 1940s at the Ciros Puppet Show Center on June 29 and 30.

The showcase also includes a series of concerts and folk opera shows by the Shanghai Light Music Troupe, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Farce Troupe.

The concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre on May 27 featured the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, playing under the baton of Zhang Liang, deputy director of the company. Three Chinese composers' works were performed — Lyu Qiming, Jin Fuzai and Xi Qiming. Ode to the Red Flag, a symphony piece by Lyu, featured pianist Kong Xiangdong.

One of the most celebrated symphony compositions by a Chinese artist, Ode to the Red Flag has been widely performed since its publication in 1965.

Through the past decades, eight different versions of the piece have been recorded, the latest featuring a children's chorus, says Gao Feng, director of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. A complete collection of all eight versions will be released on vinyl later this year, he says.