Chinese Culture Performances Season presents outstanding innovative productions with immersive drama Farewell My Concubine staged in late January

MACAU, January 16 - Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government, and co-organised by the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, the “1^st Chinese Culture Performances Season” will present the immersive drama Farewell My Concubine by the Beijing People's Art Theatre from 29 January to 1 February at the Macao Cultural Centre Box II. Tickets for the performances are now on sale through the Enjoy Macao Ticketing. A series of workshops and outreach activities will also be launched successively. Residents are welcome to participate and experience the beauty of traditional Chinese culture from multiple perspectives.

One of the outstanding productions of the “1^st Chinese Culture Performances Season”, the immersive drama Farewell My Concubine, written by Nobel Prize laureate Mo Yan, breaks away from conventional narrative frameworks of historical drama and explores timeless themes such as power, survival and responsibility through multiple encounters and dialogues between Consort Yu (Yu Ji) and Empress Lü (Lü Zhi) that intertwine time and space. Through an immersive stage design, the drama also places the audience in the “Chu military tent” to be seated on woven mats and stools at varying heights to closely witness the entanglements of love and hate between the characters.

Founded in June 1952, the Beijing People's Art Theatre is a professional drama company whose first president was the renowned playwright Cao Yu. Over the past 70 years, the theatre has staged more than 300 productions of diverse styles from China and abroad, and has a distinctive theatrical style, while nurturing numerous outstanding artists. In addition, Farewell My Concubine will feature outreach activities including “Inter-regional Young Actors Dialogue” and workshops. The production’s creative team will engage in an in-depth discussion on character development and performing arts with young actors from two regions, exploring the creative process, insights and performance techniques of dramatic characters from multiple dimensions, including actions, personality and image. Drama enthusiasts are welcome to participate. Enamel Jewellery Workshop and Calligraphy Workshop for Seniors will also be held, in which participants can experience traditional craftsmanship and stage aesthetics under professional guidance. Seats for the abovementioned activities are limited. Interested residents can learn more about the details and register through the “Activity Application” of the Macao One Account (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web). For the “Young Actors Dialogue”, distribution is on a first-come, first-served basis; while registration for the workshops will be selected by drawing lots if the number of registrants in the workshops exceeds the maximum number of participants allowed.

Tickets for all programmes of the “Chinese Culture Performances Season” are now on sale through Enjoy Macao Ticketing (ticketing.enjoymacao.mo). A 50% discount on ticket purchase will be offered for holders of a valid Macao Resident Identity Card, full-time Student Card, Macao Teacher Card, Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card. Each cardholder can only use one discounted ticket per performance. For details of the programmes, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website at www.icm.gov.mo/ccps.

Outreach activities for the immersive drama Farewell My Concubine