Bring the Fog of Chongqing to the Stage with a Classic Play

Chongqing- The play "The Foggy Chongqing," produced by Chongqing Drama Arts Center, will be performed for two days in Beijing People's Art Theatre on March 2-3, 2022. This is the only work from the Southwest region that has been selected in this year's performance activities of Beijing Beijing People's Art Theatre.

The play "The Foggy Chongqing" was created in 1940, and it is currently in its fifth version. It is one of the masterpieces of Chongqing's anti-war drama, which shows the real-life and human nature during the war. It also overcomes the stereotyped "simple and straightforward" style of drama in the early days of the war. The play does not directly preach the theme of anti-war but portrays the helplessness and pursuit of the characters who are struggling to live in the time of war and causes more thoughts in the ordinary experience.

The "fog" in the title is divided into three meanings: one is the "fog" scene caused by the unique geographical characteristics of Chongqing; the second is the "foggy" confusion and hardship in the minds of young people during the war; the third is to convey the hope that "the fog will eventually be lifted to welcome the sun that shines in the world."

Chongqing is a "foggy city," and the fog is a regional feature given by the special terrain. Chongqing also held four "fog season performances" during the anti-Japanese war to arouse people's consciousness. In the creation of the 2021 version of "The Foggy Chongqing," the director added a "water mist" to the stage design to highlight the sense of immersion. The stage setting also refers to Chongqing's jagged terrain and stilted buildings, highlighting the psychological state of complexity and confusion of the young people. As the story goes, the color of the actors' costumes has also changed, from bright to gray, as if they were covered with a layer of fog, which conforms to the change of mentality and the current situation.