Spirit of sacrifice

A film, adapted from a Chinese opera on wartime stories, debuts in theaters, Chen Nan reports.

Since its premiere in December 2018, Chinese opera Yimeng Mountain has been staged over 100 performances across the country. To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the piece has been adapted into a movie that debuted at cinemas on Wednesday.

The opera, performed by the Shandong Song and Dance Theater, is based on real-life stories in the Yimeng Mountain area in Shandong province during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45). It tells of how local villagers dedicated themselves to supporting Communist troops, from making shoes and clothes for them to taking care of their children, and highlights the spirit of villagers and Chinese soldiers working together to fight the enemy.

"The stories of Yimeng Mountain are well-known among Chinese audiences," says Wang Xiaoling, the scriptwriter of the opera. "When we traveled to the area to prepare for the opera in 2018, we got a sense of the spirit of the local people. They are known for their hard work, selflessness and dedication-referred to as the 'Yimeng spirit'."

He says the stories of Yimeng Mountain have inspired many artists, who created a diversity of art forms, such as ballets and movies, to speak of the history of the place.