Ta Kung Pao June 7, 1967
Peking
Concert For
Foreign Missions
Peking, June 2 (Hsinhua) A concert was held here this evening at the Great Hall of the People to mark the 25th anniversary of the publication of the great Leader Chairman Mao's illustrious work 'Talks at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art'. The concert was given in honour of the diplomatic corps, the staffs of international organisations and per- manent foreign missions in Peking, other foreign friends, foreign students in China and foreign guests now visiting China. It was sponsored by the Commission for Cultural Re- lations with Foreign Countries and the Chinese People's Association for Cultural Relations and Friendship with Foreign Countries.
The Chinese Peking Opera Theatre and Pe- king's First and Second Peking Opera Troupes performed songs with Peking opera melodies based on quotations from Chairman Mao and on his poems, and the Central Philharmonic Society presented 'Shachiapang', a revolu- tionary symphony with a contemporary theme. Also present on the occasion were Chen Yi, Vice-Premier of the State Council, Kuo Mo-jo, Vice-Chairman of the National People's Con- gress Standing Committee, Chu Tu-nan, Vice Minister of the Commission for Cultural Rela-
tions with Foreign Countries, Chang Hsi-jo, President of the Chinese People's Association for Cultural Relations and Friendship with Foreign Countries, leading members of organi- sations concerned, proletarian revolutionaries and young Red Guard fighters.
The items were greeted with warm applause by an audience of some 10,000.
At the close of the concert the artists and audience made the whole hall ring by singing together 'A Ship Cannot Sail Without a Helmsman'.
Contemporary Chinese Theatre
As An Italian Sees It
Peking, May 27 (Hsinhua) 'It's blos- som time for a hundred proletarian flowers', is how Manlio Dinucci, an Italian journalist working in China, describes his impressions of the modern Peking operas and revolutionary ballets now showing in Peking. His detailed comments follow:
Entirely New
One evening shortly after I arrived in China, I went to see 'Taking the Bandits' Strong- hold,' a Peking opera on a contemporary revo- lutionary theme. My original idea had been to while away an hour or two at a theatrical entertainment. But how mistaken I was!
Right from act one, scene one, I realised that what was being enacted before me was something entirely new. The characters on stage were speaking the language of class strug- gie and revolution, the language of life. I saw right in front of me a concrete embodiment of my own revolutionary thinking and feeling. From that moment I began to understand what art should be like.
Bad Impression
Not long afterwards, another evening at the theatre left a deep impression on me, only this time it was a bad impression. After seeing several other modern Peking operas and the revolutionary ballet The Red Detachment of
Women,' I went to see a traditional Peking opera. What struck me was not only that the story concerned emperors and kings, gen- erals and ministers, scholars and beauties, but also that the audience was somehow strange. They were completely wooden, not at all like the audience at the revolutionary plays, which had been utterly absorbed, completely at one with the characters, and tremendously moved by its experience. Even the colourful costumes failed to stir the actors and audience from their apathy.
Contrast
The contrast made many things quite clear to me. For the first time I really understood Chairman Mao's words:
'In the world today all culture, all litera- ture and art belong to definite classes and are geared to definite political lines. There is in fact no such things as art for art's sake, art that stands above classes, art that is detached from or independent of politics.' 'All our li- terature and art are for the masses of the people, and in the first place for the workers, peasants and soldiers; they are created for the workers, peasants and soldiers and are for their use."
Two Worlds
The tales of the scholars and the beauties like the one I had seen, could they be created for the workers, peasants and soldiers? Of course not. For many years, even since libera- tion, scholars and beauties, monsters and de- mons had dominated the theatrical stage al- though the people were making triumphant strides in socialist construction. At that time there seemed to be two worlds: the real world full of vitality and revolutionary enthusiasm, and a theatrical world infested with monsters and demons.
Why couldn't the theatrical world reflect the real world? Because that theatrical world belonged to the exploiting classes and reflected their class ideology.
Grand Revolutionary
Theatre Festival Held in Peking
Peking, May 24 (Hsinhua) Mao Tse- tung's thinking shines on the Peking stage with the presentation of revolutionary Peking operas, ballets and orchestral music, the first fruits of China's great proletarian cultural re- volution, as part of the Peking theatre festival in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Chair- man Mao's 'Talks at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art'.
Among the items are the Peking operas Taking the Bandits' Stronghold', 'In the Docks', 'The Red Lantern', 'Shachiapang',
and 'Raid on the White Tiger Regiment"; the ballets "The White-haired Girl' and 'The Red Detachment of Women'; and the symphonic composition 'Shachiapang'.
These productions were created in the flames of class struggle and are part of the treasury of proletarian literature and art. They are bril- liant models for the development of new prole- tarian literature and art. They have clear poli- tical content that serves the workers, peasants and soldiers, proletarian politics and socialism. revisionism and feudalism and have great poli- They tower over the 'art' of the bourgeoisie,
tical artistic power.
Bumper Harvest
Peking, June 4 (Hsinhua) A good summer harvest is being reaped on the outskirts of Shanghai. Varieties of barley are already on the threshing grounds. Yield is estimated at ten to thirty per cent above last year's. Standing wheat and rapeseed also promise a fine harvest. Commune members and revolu tionary cadres are doing the summer harvest- ing, ploughing and transplanting in the spirit of "seize the day, seize the hour".
Chinese Films Welcomed
Peking, June 4 (Hsinhua) The office of the Charge d'Affaires of the People's Re- public of China in the Netherlands gave a film reception in the Hague on the evening of June 2. Two colour documentary films 'The Great Victory of Mao Tse-tung's Thought' and 'Chairman Mao is the Red Sun in Our Hearts' were shown. The films were warmly received by the foreign friends, ac- cording to a report from the Hague.
Many friends were very much moved by the scenes showing the Chinese people's love and respect for their great leader Chairman Mao, and by the complete confidence of Chair- man Mao in the revolutionary masses.
Japanese Exhibition
Tientsin, June 4 (Hsinhua) The Japan- ese Scientific Instruments Exhibition opened in Tientsin this morning. It is the first specialised exhibition held by the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade in China.
The exhibits, consisting chiefly of electronic instruments for analysing, surveying, measur- ing and computing, and their component parts, occupy an area of 3,200 square metres. The opening was postponed from June 1 until today because of the unreasonable obstructions placed in the way of the organisers by the reactionary Japanese Sato Government.
Leading members of Chinese organisations concerned, including those of the China Coun- cil for the Promotion of International Trade and the Tientsin branch of the council, were invited to attend the ceremony.
Takamaru Morita, secretary-general of the group for the Japanese Scientific Instruments Exhibition, gave an account of the preparatory work for the exhibition.
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