"Offering lotus roots and falling down, leaving behind this elegant, pure and beautiful life..." As the curtain of the performance slowly fell, Gong Quanzhen's daughter Gan Gongrong's eyes were filled with tears. "Thank you to the National Peking Opera Theatre for interpreting the story of 'Old Auntie' with such a good work, so that more audiences can understand our Pingxiang. My parents must be very pleased." On June 15th, the modern Peking Opera "Old Auntie" officially made its debut at the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater in Beijing. The drama is based on the fourth National Moral Model and "Most Beautiful Struggler" Aunt Gong Quanzhen as the creative prototype, telling her life story of always upholding the original mission of being a Communist Party member, practicing teaching and educating people with love, and serving the noble cause of the people. The drama is jointly produced by the National Peking Opera Theatre in collaboration with the Pingxiang Municipal Party Committee and Government, as well as the Lianhua County Party Committee and Government. It was written by Chen Yongquan, directed by Yang Xiaoqing, and starred by renowned Peking Opera masters Wang Runjing and Tian Lei. First performance stills of the modern Peking Opera "Old Auntie". From Gong Quanzhen meeting and falling in love with General Gan Zuchang, to her following her husband and rooting in the revolutionary old area of Jiangxi, becoming an ordinary teacher, teaching and educating, and selflessly dedicating her life... The entire drama is based on "Gong Quanzhen's Diary" and is divided into 7 chapters, cleverly capturing several precious moments from the life of the "old lady", condensing her ordinary and great life into more than 2 hours. "The modern Peking Opera 'Old Auntie' tells not only the life story of Gong Quanzhen, but also the story of striving for progress in China, and is a collective spiritual parade." At the expert seminar on "Old Auntie" in Peking Opera held on the 15th, Wang Yong, the director of the National Peking Opera Academy, introduced that in order to better explore the touching stories and emotional connections of "Old Auntie" Gong Quanzhen, the creative team of the drama has visited Jiangxi, Xinjiang and other places multiple times to create, collect, discuss and argue. The creative team visited places where the "old lady" had worked and lived, such as Fanglou Town and Qinting Town in Lianhua County. They also visited Gong Quanzhen, who was still under guardianship and treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, and collected a large amount of first-hand information. "The creation of 'Old Auntie' can be said to be a spiritual cleansing and spiritual refinement." Director Yang Xiaoqing said that through this creation, he pays tribute to Gan Zuchang, Gong Quanzhen, and all the role models who take national construction and people's happiness as their responsibilities. "It is the responsibility and responsibility of literary and artistic workers to use stage art to interpret and praise the role models of the times. Creating an infinite spiritual world with limited stage space is also the value and mission of playwrights. May the spirit of the 'old lady' be eternal on this stage," said Yang Xiaoqing. This play is close to reality, and it is a real-life story that everyone is familiar with, so it is difficult to shape and must be down-to-earth. From the age of thirty to the age of seventy or eighty, the deeds of the 'old lady' have baptized my soul In the drama, Wang Runjing, who played Gong Quanzhen, recalled the scene of meeting her in late September 2022. "Although the elderly were lying in the hospital room, their eyes were still bright and their smiles were friendly. She said she loved listening to Peking Opera the most, and when I sang the excerpt of" The Red Lantern "for her, she even sang with me softly." After the filming crew finished, Wang Runjing, who was deeply inspired by the spirit of the "old lady", donated 100000 yuan in her personal name to the Nanpi Primary and Secondary School where Gong Quanzhen had fought. ". "The props and stage design of this drama instantly pulled me back to that era, which was particularly friendly." "The use of some folk songs in this play is very exquisite, 'silky' integrating the artistic form of Peking Opera with the historical background of the story." After the performance, many viewers expressed that they were deeply moved by the story and spirit of the 'Old Auntie' once again. "After watching this play, I want to go to places where our predecessors have fought." "The respect of the people is the most beautiful medal in the life of the 'Old Auntie'. Her life is like the name of our county - Lotus, elegant, noble, and fragrant." Yi Gang, the Secretary of the Lianhua County Committee, said, "The best memory of the 'Old Auntie' is to carry it with you." "Her ideals and beliefs continue to be steadfast in her beliefs and courageously move forward." (Xinhua News Agency)