This year, over the past 10 years, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) has not only carried the functions of a performing arts center platform, a themed original art platform, an art popularization education platform, a comprehensive art exhibition platform, a cultural exchange and cooperation platform, and a digital cultural communication platform, but also played an important role in deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization. Recently, People's Daily Online interviewed Wang Ning, member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, on issues such as "how the National Centre for the Performing Arts can tell Chinese stories through cultural people and art".
Moderator:The purpose of the National Centre for the Performing Arts is to be people-oriented, artistic and international, so how to combine performing arts with these three points?
Wang Ning:People's nature, artistry and internationality, this is the purpose of the National Centre for the Performing Arts when it was founded. Over the years, we have continuously expanded the role played by the three purposes, and put forward new concepts of leadership, inheritance, innovation, openness and inclusiveness. At the same time, we also proposed that the NCPA should play the role of six major platforms, including the performing arts center platform, the theme original art platform, the art popularization education platform, the comprehensive art exhibition platform, the cultural exchange and cooperation platform and the digital cultural communication platform, so as to better play the purpose of the NCPA.
Among the purposes of the "three sexes", the first purpose is the people's nature. How do we embody the people's nature?It is to satisfy everyone's love for literature and art, and at the same time, we must go deep into the lives of the masses, so that the masses can feel the close integration with life through literary and artistic creation. Many of the works created over the years are closely related to people's lives. For example, the national opera "Female Teacher in a Mountain Village" (now renamed "Summer Rainbow") tells the extraordinary experience of female teacher Yang Caihong taking root in the education cause of poor mountainous areas, reflecting the choice of ideals, career, love and valuable dedication of rural educators.
Second, artistry. Art is the root of the theater, and the work is the foundation of the foundation. Over the years, we have also done a lot of high-level artworks. At the same time, as a national cultural platform, we are also working together to bring together artists from all over the world on this platform to create various art forms and achieve the highest artistic standards.
Third, internationality. As a national cultural platform, we should promote the improvement of the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization, and we must not only "go out", but also "invite in". Over the years, the NCPA has established long-term and stable cooperation with international art organizations, and up to now, 300,000 artists have appeared on the stage of the NCPA.
Moderator:The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) is a national cultural platform, and from this positioning, how should practitioners of contemporary performing arts contribute to the inheritance and development of Chinese culture?
Wang Ning:The National Centre for the Performing Arts has done a good job in the inheritance of Chinese culture from two aspects, one is to tell the history of Chinese culture well, and in this regard, we have created many classic works, such as the drama "Lin Zexu", the opera "Fang Zhimin", "Visitors on the Iceberg" and "Jinsha River", through these stories to tell history and inherit history.
Another aspect is to better pass on our artistic classics and traditions. For example, we will plan projects related to intangible cultural heritage, such as Peking Opera and classical folk music, to pass on culture and history.
Moderator:The NCPA has also created a lot of works of art that promote the excellent traditional Chinese culture, including the works you just mentioned. How to make these excellent works "go out"?
Wang Ning:Culture is a bridge and link for international friendly exchanges. From the beginning of its establishment to today, the NCPA has always insisted on "going out" and touring. For example, in the first half of this year, the principal artist of the National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra performed in Brazil and Argentina. At the end of this year, NCPA will join hands with ASEAN-China Centre to bring two operas to Malaysia and Singapore.
In addition, we have strengthened cooperation with international art institutions. During the epidemic years, the NCPA conducted online performance exchanges with art institutions in many countries, and through the weekly online program, more than 20 million audiences around the world came to watch our program and gave it high praise. In addition, not long ago, the National Centre for the Performing Arts and several of the world's top art institutions (Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman, Verona Amphitheater**, Italy, Los Angeles Opera) jointly produced the opera "Lakmé", and the audience feedback was very good.
Moderator:As you have mentioned in other interviews, performing arts institutions should give full play to the role of aesthetic education for all. How do you think art institutions can play a role in aesthetic education for all while achieving commercialization?
Wang Ning:Improving the artistic literacy of the whole people and giving full play to the role of aesthetic education is a very important mission of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and it is also a long-term task.
Improving the aesthetic education of the whole people is not achieved overnight, and it needs to be persisted in for a long time. In this regard, the NCPA has done several things.
One is a charity performance. In order to popularize the public's understanding and love for culture, every Saturday and Sunday, the National Centre for the Performing Arts will launch public performances or low-cost tickets. In addition, there are hundreds of charity performances every year, so that everyone can enjoy high-level plays in their own cities.
Another is that the National Centre for the Performing Arts should play a role in aesthetic education. That's why we often hold art masterclasses and invite teenagers to get involved. At the same time, the "first lesson of the school year", art classes, ideological and political courses, etc., are also held to achieve the purpose of popularizing art education.
Moderator:What are the new plans of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in terms of cultural inheritance and development?
Wang Ning:The NCPA has been established for 16 years, and this year is a very important year for the NCPA, because we will realize the construction pattern and development direction of one theater and three sites. This brings new opportunities and challenges to the NCPA. In the future, there are the following aspects to focus on.
The first is to give full play to the role of one hospital and three sites;The second is that we came up with an idea called "high above". The so-called "high on top" refers to high standing, high standards, high quality and high efficiency. As a national cultural platform, the NCPA must have a higher level of artistic creation in order to play a leading roleThe third is to continue to open up and innovate. We must not only continue to carry forward China's excellent traditional culture, but also insist on taking modern art as a very important content in innovation, not only in the form of art, but also in the degree of art display, which requires innovation. It is hoped that these goals can be achieved, and at the same time, it is hoped that all sectors of society can give strong support to cultural undertakings.