Classic National Ballet White-haired Girl in Beijing

Date: June 27 - 7:30 pm

Venue: Great Hall of the People

Price: 80-880 yuan

The White-Haired Girl is a Chinese opera, ballet, (later adapted to Beijing Opera and a film) by Yan Jinxuan to a Chinese libretto. The first ballet performance was by Shanghai Dance Academy, Shanghai in 1965. The opera is based on legends circulating in the border region of Shanxi, Chahar and Hebei, describing the misery suffered by local peasantry, particularly the misery of the female members. The stories are based on real life stories of no less than half a dozen women, in a time frame stretching from the late Qing Dynasty to 1920's or 1930's. The political overtone and historical background when it was created means that communist propaganda was added in inevitably, and the most obvious example was the added portion of happy ending and the protagonists joining the communist force, which did not happen in real life.