A daughter's return

With a star-studded creative team, including songwriters Yan Su, He Dongjiu, Wang Zujie and Zhang Zhuoya, the opera, featuring former soprano Peng Liyuan in the leading role, premiered in 1991 and won wide critical acclaim, receiving the Wenhua Award in 1992, a top national accolade for the performing arts.

"When I review my career, I feel very excited about being a part of the opera. As a young director, I was honored to have the opportunity to work with so many established artists," recalls Wang.

Now, the director is working with a new creative team on an updated production of Daughter of the Party, which, produced by the National Center for the Performing Arts, will be staged in the capital in July.

Featuring soprano Lei Jia in the leading role, and Liao Changyong, an operatic baritone, the new version of the opera will be performed by the China NCPA Orchestra and China NCPA Chorus under the baton of conductor Li Xincao.

"The opera is a classic but, compared to the version in 1991, we will make changes to the stage set, costumes and musical arrangements. However, the base of the story is not going to be changed, since it's the reason why the opera has become a classic," says Wang, adding that after 30 years, he has a deeper understanding about the story with his own life experiences.