The plot of “the ballad of the supreme King”

There two states in the time of “the ballad of the supreme King” about two thousands years ago, and there are legends familiar to Chinese, about the war between these two states – Chu, of which the king was Xiang Yu, and Han, of which the king was Liu Bang. The legends was written down and became a epic, and the epic was sung by folk and became a ballad. It brought enthusiasm to Chinese people, and all the phases in the story’s development were written and rewritten, again and again by men of letters: The Battle of Julu, where Xiang Yu smashed Qin Dynasty’s main force and was revered by all the rebellious princes; Hongmen banquet, a dinner party intended to kill Liu Bang who succeeded in escaping because of Xiang Yu’s mercifulness; the Honggou Treaty, where Liu Bang gained the advantages in the War between Chu and Han and tricked Xiang Yu into withdrawing his troops by a armistice, which Liu Bang breached almost right away; the Battle of Gaixia, where Xiang Yu was under a siege, and Liu Bang ordered to sing songs from Xiang Yu’s native country of Chu; under the dancing with sword, Xiang Yu sang farewell to his beloved wife Yuji, who danced last dance for him and then committed suicide; the end of the tragedy by the river of Wu Jiang, Xiang Yu cut his own throat with his sword…

Xiang Yu the supreme King of West Chu was remembered by the academic circles, on the dramatic stages or among folk as a figure who was brave, savage, simple and lacking stratagem.

Xiang Yu from “the ballad of the supreme King” is a personality of poet; he is simple and naive, spontaneous and ingenuous; he disdains the cowardice and despises intrigue; he identifies himself with a heroism of indomitable spirit, he likes to die a death like his grandfather, Xiang Yan’s, to have an end of life with magnanimity, passion and glory.

Xiang Yu decides to kill Liu Bang, not because he considers Liu Bang as a real political rival, but because this rogue disgusts him. But however, he turns his sword back into the scabbard, only because, at the moment when he sees Uncle Fan Zeng for the third time sending the signal by lifting the jade up, he feels that it would dishonor him if he killed Liu Bang in this way, because then, for him, the fair play of men with honor would turn into a kind of intrigue between the villains! How could a man with indomitable spirit and upright heart tolerate such kind of conspiracy? The history will testify that it is a big mistake to draw his sword back at that moment, but in the critical point of history, Xiang Yu prefers maintaining the virtuousness for his personality.

The ideal life for Xiang Yu is to ride in mountain and river scenery together with his deeply loved woman. Yuji says, “this world is no good, because there are always people who want to talk by using their sword”. Xiang Yu has remembered this, because it is also what he pursues all life long, - to talk by using the charm and integrity of personality instead of using the sword. Thus they love each other, they share the same destiny of life and death, and nothing can change their will.

The songs from Chu come and go and come again, it is a mournful melody drifting on the air, as if was it from heaven. “The troop of Han has taken the country” and it presses Xiang Yu to the strand of Wu Jiang. It was sung by “the Yuji of Peking Opera”, that “the epoch of the supreme King is over”, but the authentic Yuji will neither complain nor moan, and she understands him deeply, so she takes the sword and cuts her own throat. As Xiang Yu’s woman, she does as Xiang Yu, for nothing but a self-realization.

How could the history develop in this way? Now, Xiang Yu probably has understood it, “it is the heaven that wants to destroy me, and it has nothing to do with the battles”.

This is the Xiang Yu in “the ballad of the supreme King”, and this is the poet who sings his song to the heaven in “the ballad of the supreme King”

Director:    Wang Xiaoying

Graduated from the undergraduate study at the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama in 1984, and completed his Ph.D study with Professor Xu Xiaozhong in 1995.

Now, Mr. Wang Xiaoying is a Dr. in Theatre and Directing, Vice President of the  National Theatre of China, Vice Chairman of China Theatre Association,Visiting Professor and the member of the academic committee at the Central Academy of Drama.

Playwright:      Pan Jun

Graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature at Anhui University.  He is a professional writer at Literature research Centre at Anhui Provincial Literary and Art Circles; and also Visiting professor at Anhui University.

Production Designer: Liu Kedong

Graduated from the Stage Designing Department at The Central Academy of Drama.  He is now a production designer at the National Theatre of China, and is a member of OESTAT’s Chinese division.

Lighting Designer: Liu Jianzhong

Graduated from the Stage Designing Department at Shanghai Theatre Academy China. He is a production Designer at the Opera of Chinese PLA General Political Department.

Costume Designer:       Tao Lei (Hong Kong, China)

Studied fashion designing at Munich Fashion Institutes and the Hamburg University, now she is the Chief fashion Designer at Fluegel International Limited.

Visual Effect Supervisor: Feng Jiangzhou

Graduated from Zhejiang Fine Art Institute majoring in Arts Education. He is from Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and is a contemporary Avant-garde Artist.

Choreographer: Zeng Huanxing

Graduated from Beijing Dance Academy.  He is teaching at the Choreography Department of Beijing Dance Academy.  

Composer: Zhang Guangtian

A poet and a Theatre Director, Zhang Guangtian does not only doing creative works in poetry, music and Theatre, but also a researcher in these areas.

Fang Zibin – Xiang Yu

Graduated from the Acting Department of the Central Academy of Drama. He is an actor at the National Theatre of China.

Zhang Hao – Fan Zeng, Li You, Song Yi, Ambassador of the Kingdom Zhao, Zhang Han, Zi Ying, Spy, Xiang Zhuang, Zhong limei, Lord Liu, Lv Shi, Han Xin, General of Wu River

Graduated from the Musical Department of the Central Academy of Drama, and now an actor at the National Theatre of China.  He also performed at the Shigiki Theatre Company of Japan.

Liu Lu – Yu Ji

A post graduate student at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts.

Tian Zheng – Liu Bang

Graduated from the Acting Department of the Central Academy of Drama. He is an actor at The National Theatre of China.

Yu Nong – Musician of Classic Instrument Gu Qin

Graduated from the Directing Department of the Central Academy of Drama.  She is good at traditional Chinese Instruments, Gu Qin, Guzheng, Pipa, Konghou, and as well as Chinese classic paiting.