The 2022 Hundred Opera Festival opened on Saturday. Lu Zhangong, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the Beijing Opera-Kunqu Opera Studio, attended the opening ceremony. Hu Heping, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, delivered a speech and announced the opening of the ceremony. Governor Xu Kunlin addressed the opening ceremony.
The Hundred Opera Festival has been held for three consecutive years since 2018.
Themed with a grand gathering of opera and a festival for the common people, the event aims to bring more opera artists and works to the national stage and show the beauty of opera and culture to the people.
Xu Kunlin, on behalf of the provincial party committee and the provincial government, extended his warm welcome to all the guests.
He said that Jiangsu is a powerhouse of economy, culture and opera. In recent years, Jiangsu has adhered to the guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, focused on the construction of a pioneer area for a strong socialist culture, and vigorously promote the development of opera creation so that many masterpieces have emerged to reflect the spirit of Jiangsu and the atmosphere of the times, and continue to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the people.
The governor said that Jiangsu will take the opportunity of launching the new three-year plan of the Hundred Opera Festival to further strengthen the protection, inheritance and development of operas, and launch a batch of exquisite opera works that are exquisite in art and loved by the people.
Hu Heping said that holding the Hundred Opera Festival is a pragmatic measure to promote the protection, inheritance and promotion of traditional opera so as to have created a new era of opera festivals and common people's festivals, and built a broad stage for the gathering, exhibition, and exchange of opera troupes across the country.
He hoped that opera workers will adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on literary and artistic work, adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, take creation as the core task and performance as the central link so as to make efforts to create and perform more excellent works worthy of the times and the people, better meet the cultural needs of the people, and enhance the spiritual strength of the people.
Zhang Aijun, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department, presided over the opening ceremony.
Cao Lubao, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Suzhou Municipal Party Committee, Ma Xin, Vice Governor, and Yao Xiaodong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial Political Consultative Conference, issued certificates to the representatives shortlisted for the National Opera Performance Leading Talent Training Program in 2021 and 2022.
