A Century-Long Legend! She Is “The Daughter of Chinese Opera”
On December 25, the 100th anniversary of Hong Xiannv’s birth, the official opening of the exhibition The Daughter of Chinese Opera – A Basic Exhibition on Hong Xiannv’s Artistic Life and the Guangzhou premiere of the documentary film She Is Hong Xiannv marked the successful conclusion of the main events of the “Eternal Hong Xiannv – Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Her Birth” series. The series is guided by the Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles and organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, the Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Revitalization Foundation.
It is learned that the exhibition The Daughter of Chinese Opera – A Basic Exhibition on Hong Xiannv’s Artistic Life will be permanently open to citizens and tourists free of charge at the Hong Xiannv Art Center, while the documentary film She Is Hong Xiannv will hit the cinemas in Guangzhou in early 2026.
The Exhibition Recreates Hong Xiannv’s Artistic Life
With over 70 years on the stage, Hong Xiannv created the world-renowned “Hong School” of art, portrayed more than 100 stage characters, and starred in over 100 films, earning her the titles of “Hong Xiannv of the Working People” and “The Daughter of Chinese Opera”.
As one of the main events commemorating the 100th anniversary of Hong Xiannv’s birth, the exhibition The Daughter of Chinese Opera – A Basic Exhibition on Hong Xiannv’s Artistic Life is hosted by the Hong Xiannv Art Center. It showcases more than 450 cultural relics and historical photos, over half of which are displayed to the public for the first time. The exhibits include Hong Xiannv’s manuscripts, diaries, scripts, music scores, publications, stage costumes and props, as well as precious calligraphy and paintings created for her by cultural celebrities such as Cao Yu, Ba Jin, Guan Shanyue and Lin Yong.
This exhibition boasts several upgraded highlights: visitors can expand their relevant knowledge through multimedia platforms to fully appreciate Hong Xiannv’s artistic charm.
Additionally, the exhibition has produced video clips with analysis of excerpts from Wang Zhaojun’s Departure for the Frontier and Princess Wang Zhaojun, allowing audiences to intuitively grasp Hong Xiannv’s performance and creative philosophy.
The Documentary Film She Is Hong Xiannv Wins High Praise
The decade-long Hong Xiannv Art Project also reached a successful conclusion on the same day. Launched in 2015, the project has assembled top domestic teams, experts and scholars to document the “Hong School” art through videos and publications, establishing a complete inheritance system and setting a benchmark for the inheritance of local opera genres. Among its achievements, the art research program has released 15 focused works including A Pictorial Biography of Hong Xiannv, Eternal Hong Xiannv and A Concise Study of Hong Xiannv’s Art, with a total word count exceeding 5 million, thus building a comprehensive research system for the Hong School art.
The core outcomes of the video program – the 10-episode documentary series A Legendary Diva – Hong Xiannv and the documentary film She Is Hong Xiannv – present “Hong Xiannv in My Eyes” from multiple perspectives. A Legendary Diva – Hong Xiannv not only unveils a large amount of precious materials for the first time, but also restores the highlight moments of Hong Xiannv’s life.
The production team of the documentary film She Is Hong Xiannv has spent several years traveling across Asia, Europe and America, systematically interviewing nearly 150 experts, relatives and friends, consulting and studying millions of words of literature, and sorting out a vast number of precious historical videos. The film multi-dimensionally presents Hong Xiannv’s artistic life characterized by her “loyalty to the Party, loyalty to Cantonese opera and loyalty to the people”.
The documentary film She Is Hong Xiannv has already held screening events in Beijing, Hong Kong and other places, winning widespread acclaim. It has been nominated for the Best Documentary/Science and Education Film at the Golden Rooster Awards of Chinese Films and has been included in the “National Video Collection Project”, a major initiative under the national 14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Development, ensuring its permanent preservation.
