NCPA to stage play about anti-opium hero

The first round of rehearsals for the play Lin Zexu concluded at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing.

The drama follows the story of Lin Zexu, a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) official, who led the fight against opium smuggling.

Director Wang Xiaodi speaks before a rehearsal for the play Lin Zexu at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Dec. 2, 2019. [Photo by Zhang Liying/China.org.cn]

Wang Xiaodi said more rehearsals with music and dancing will take place in the next 10 days before the performances from Dec.14 to 22.

Actor Pu Cunxin and actress Xu Fan perform in a rehearsal for the play Lin Zexu at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing on Dec. 2, 2019. [Photo courtesy of the NCPA]

The play, co-produced by the NCPA and Guangzhou Dramatic Arts Center, stars veteran actor Pu Cunxin as the protagonist and actress Xu Fan as Lin's wife.

Actor Pu Cunxin and actress Xu Fan perform in a rehearsal for the play Lin Zexu at the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing on Dec. 2, 2019. [Photo courtesy of the NCPA]

This year marks the 180th anniversary of Lin destroying opium at Humen in southern China's Guangdong province in 1839. He ordered the destruction of more than 1,000 tonnes of smuggled opium which was confiscated from British dealers.

(CHINA.ORG.CN)