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Zhang Yimou's to recreate Puccini's opera "Turandot"

2009-09-01 08:59 BJT

Special Report: 60th Anniversary of PRC |

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A "Chinese Princess Turandot" was selected in Beijing on Sunday to represent Chinese director Zhang Yimou's new version of Puccini's opera "Turandot". Zhang and the creative team behind the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will return to the National Stadium to stage the opera on October 6th and 7th, during the Chinese National Day holiday.

The budget for the new spectacular show was 1.2-billion yuan, or about 180 million US dollars.

Some of the effort can be seen in the nationwide pageant competition to find a "Chinese Princess" the young lady who will embody classic Chinese beauty, combined with the strength of the opera's central character as the modern "Princess Turandot".

Li Ruoning, a 21-year-old girl from northwestern China's Shaanxi Province, won the competition out of 15 finalists and was crowned "Chinese Princess" on Sunday.

Li Ruoning said, "I did not expect to be 'Chinese Princess' before. But after winning, I will definitely follow the director's arrangements. I will continue to build up myself, and continue to engage in public interest work and in helping others."

Besides selecting a real-person as "Chinese princess", the promoter has also created a collectible, hand-crafted Princess Turandot doll, which was also unveiled at a press conference.

Zhang Yimou himself, however, did not attend Sunday's event.

His partner and the Executive Director of Turandot, Chen Weiya, admitted that Zhang did not know who won the "Chinese princess" pageant. Nevertheless, they are doing everything necessary to have a remarkable turnout at the box office.

Chen, who was also the assistant director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, is confident they will present a fantastic opera at the "Bird's Nest".

"Because it is directed by Zhang Yimou; because it is held at the Bird's Nest where we created the splendid Olympic Games; because it is the story of a Chinese Princess and was composed by a Western composer filled with emotion; and because it is the cultivation of Chinese culture and Chinese art I think everyone has a reason to watch and receive this cultivation and enjoy the charm of the art."

Zhang initially directed the opera about the love story of a Chinese princess named Turandot in 1998, in the Forbidden City. It subsequently toured South Korea, France, Germany, and Spain.

Some 100-thousand people are expected to attend the performance at the "Bird's Nest", and more than 4,000 sets of new costumes have been produced. The promoter said they plan to tour 30 performances in 20 cities around the world.

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Editor: Zhao Yanchen | Source: CCTV.com