BEIJING, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Da, a retired China Unicom employee, was finally able to see the unusual life of his grandfather, Wang Hebo, on the stage.
"My mother was only three years old when my grandfather sacrificed his life," Zhao told Xinhua. "Over the years our family gradually learned about his revolutionary career through archives and museum exhibitions."
The stage play dedicated to Wang, a senior leader of the Communist Party of China (CPC) during its early years, was performed at the National Theatre of China in Beijing Wednesday through Thursday.
A forerunner of China's labor movement, Wang was the first chairman of the central supervisory commission, enacted at the 5th National Congress of the CPC in May 1927. The commission was the predecessor of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Betrayed by a traitor, Wang was arrested by a warlord and died for his beliefs in late 1927. The stage play reflects his loyalty in defending the purity of the Party and denouncing treachery.
Performed by the Wuhan Theatre of People's Art, the stage play premiered in Wuhan in May 2017, where the 5th National Congress of the CPC was held.
"I am touched by Wang's determination to pursue what he believed even facing death," Lu Yu, a senior actor who played Wang, told Xinhua. "I hope the audience can learn about the original aspiration of Party members and how they endeavored to make our good life nowadays possible."
Zhao said: "We should remember stories of those who gave their lives to the country so that their blood was not shed in vain."
"Our team has created a series of stage plays to honor revolutionaries," said Tian Qingquan, general manager of the Wuhan Theatre of People's Art. "The era in which we live needs us to learn from their spirit, and it is our genuine hope that such stage plays can lead the fashion."
