Play to honor Ta Kung Pao in war against aggression

As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War, the China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd and the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group announced a co-produced original play on Monday in Beijing.

Titled Ta Kung Pao — A Newspaper in the War Against Japanese Aggression, the play is centered on the newspaper Ta Kung Pao. Founded in 1902 in Tianjin, it is the world's longest-running Chinese-language newspaper.

During the war, Ta Kung Pao stood firm in the resistance against Japanese aggression and continued publication while relocating across multiple cities, including Shanghai, Wuhan in Hubei province, Hong Kong, Chongqing, and Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Using their pens as weapons, its journalists rallied patriotism and public resistance.

The newspaper's Hong Kong edition continues to publish till this day. In 2016, the Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group was formed to include the newspaper and another Hong Kong-based newspaper Wen Wei Po.

The play with musical elements and in six acts will premiere by the end of this year in both Beijing and Hong Kong, and then tour cities where the newspaper operated. International performances are also being planned.

According to Guo Liqun, general manager of China Arts and Entertainment Group, the production aims to revisit history through performing arts, highlight the role of journalists and cultural workers during the war, and honor their contributions to national liberation.

The CAEG has produced a number of high-quality stage productions that combine depth, artistry and audience appeal, and this production's tour aims to reach wider audiences and become a classic work that preserves history and carry forward the spirit, Guo said.