Now that so many comrades and friends are determined to reform it, to revolutionize it, and great successes have been achieved in this revolution, we can say that this revolution has been successful. But once successfully reformed, it will have a bright future. For these reasons it is rather difficult to reform. So far as artistic form is concerned, Peking opera has a relatively long history and has attained a relatively high artistic level it is a type of opera with relatively strict conventions. There are also a small number of historical plays and plays on contemporary themes whose content is fairly good these should be further improved. These plays dominated the stage and they must be reformed. So far as their contents are concerned, many plays in the past served feudalism or capitalism. Today, we should study Peking opera from two aspects. This is indeed a revolution in Peking opera. Many attempts were made to reform Peking opera, and a number of plays were successfully revised, but at the current Festival of Peking Opera on Contemporary Themes we are witnessing for the first time reforms that are so comprehensive and systematic, so rich in content and well received by the broad masses of the people. Over a long period in the past Peking opera in the main served feudalism and capitalism. Very few plays were staged on contemporary revolutionary themes. Many Peking operas of the past portrayed emperors and kings, generals, ministers, scholars, beauties, lords and dowagers, young gentlemen and ladies they prettified the exploited classes and denigrated the working people. But what we are staging are plays on contemporary revolutionary themes serving the workers, peasants and soldiers and the socialist revolution and socialist construction. Hollywood is also producing “ plays on cotemporary themes” the rubbish the modern revisionists are staging also goes under the name of “plays with contemporary themes”. There are many types of plays on contemporary themes. Transcribed/HTML Markup: Kenneth Higham and Roland Fergusonįirst of all let me congratulate you on the successes achieved in the reform of Peking Opera and on the successful staging of Peking operas on contemporary revolutionary themes. Online Version: Peng Zhen Internet Archive, February 2004 Source: A Great Revolution on the Cultural Front (pamphlet), Foreign Languages Press, 1965 Peking Opera Peng Zhen Talk at the Festival of Peking Opera on Contemporary Themes