The Course of Searching for National Identity

If only one piece needs to be mentioned when talking about Chinese folk ballet, then it will surely be “The Red Detachment of Women”. These pictures document some real-life stories about this piece’s beginnings—how the dancers once lived for months in military camps to learn how to practice swords in order to portray the soldiers vividly on stage.

“The Red Detachment of Women” was the first and most successful large-scale Chinese ballet, with both the theme and content reflecting a very unique Chinese style.

Adapted from a movie with the same name, “The Red Detachment of Women” tells a story about an impoverished girl, Wu Qionghua, who escaped from the tyranny of an oppressive landlord, joined the Red Army, and later grew up to be a distinguished revolutionary solider.

Although the storyline of this ballet seems a little bit out-of-date today, it still possesses its original charm. The piece is a model example of the successful combination of western ballet technique with Chinese folk dancing. The two styles are melded seamlessly within one piece, and it never fails to impress the audience with a natural flow of body language supported by intense emotions. “The Red Detachment of Women” was a prelude to the exertions of Chinese ballet artists trying to establish a Chinese identity using an essentially foreign art form.

For four decades, “The Red Detachment of Women” has been staged thousands of times and now still draws enthusiastic audiences to the theatre. A permanent part of the National Ballet of China’s repertoire, this performance is now called the “Red Classic”.

Although the storyline of this ballet seems a bit out-dated, it still possesses its charm and draws enthusiastic audiences to the theatre.