For Confucius and His Descendants, a Cultural Comeback
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Amy Qin
CHINA---Among the qualifications Kong Dexin had to direct and choreograph a flashy new dance-drama about the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, one in particular stood out. According to Ms. Kong, 34, she is a 77th-generation descendant of that revered sage, known in Chinese as Kongzi, or Master Kong. Xu Ning, vice president of the state-backed China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater, which commissioned the work, said that when Ms. Kong proposed the idea, “all of us — including the officials at the Ministry of Culture — were a little perplexed.” He added, “It runs counter to the Chinese view of Confucius as very serious and very staid.” [link]
By Amy Qin
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| A scene from a 2014 production of “Confucius” at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Credit Liu Haidong |
