The opera program of this year's CMG Spring Festival Gala will highlight a joyful and festive theme, featuring classic pieces from various genres.
Renowned artists and emerging talents will share the stage enhanced by advanced technologies like virtual effects and projections, showcasing the timeless vitality of opera art.
Peking Opera artist Meng Guanglu is set to take the Spring Festival Gala stage for the 25th time, celebrating New Year's Eve with the audience.
"Peking Opera culture is both an image and a source of strength. Therefore, our performances on stage must embody this spirit and energy, providing the audience with a form of spiritual nourishment," said Meng.
This year's Spring Festival Gala opera program will, for the first time, feature the joint performance of Kunqu melodies by Kunqu, Peking Opera, and Wu Opera to highlight Kunqu's status as the "ancestor of hundred operas."
In addition, young actors will debut Xiang Opera on the Spring Festival Gala, while renowned Yu Opera artists will present classic pieces. The entire program, performed as an opera medley, will offer audiences a grand feast of traditional theater.
"We selected opera pieces with auspicious meanings that embody the virtues of truth, kindness, and beauty. These include signature pieces expressing the joy of reunion after a long separation, acts of gratitude, the bold spirit of perseverance in old age, and the celebration of longevity and well-being. On the grand stage of the Spring Festival Gala, these performances aim to convey the wonderful qualities of traditional culture and heartfelt blessings to the audiences nationwide," said Deng Yun, who is in charge of the opera program of the Spring Festival Gala.
Opera program of Spring Festival Gala features classic pieces, showcasing enduring charm of opera art
Iranian Deputy Minister of Justice Askar Jalalian said the recent attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel are a clear violation of the U.N. Charter and condemned a strike on a school in southern Iran as a serious breach of international human rights law in an interview with China Global Television Network on Sunday.
The U.S. and Israel have been launching coordinated airstrikes against targets across Iran since Saturday, resulting in heavy casualties.
"What we witnessed yesterday in Tehran is, in fact, a clear violation of the United Nations Charter - specifically, a direct breach of the principle prohibiting the use of force. What has occurred is an extremely dangerous development in international law. This action by the Zionist regime sends a message to the world that the use of force can be normalized - and that is deeply concerning. When we look at this incident, along with other examples - including the 12-day war launched against us, it becomes clear that the United States and the Zionist regime do not have much faith in negotiation. Their belief appears to be in power as the primary means of resolving disputes. One very important message that can be drawn from these actions is the revival of an arms race in the region. Of course, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, Iran's right to self-defense is preserved, and Iran has the legal right to defend itself and take military actions," Jalalian said of the attacks.
Addressing the strike on a school in southern Iran, Jalalian accused the United States of violating the Geneva Conventions and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, one of the most important human rights treaties in international law.
"At the outset, this incident constitutes a violation of the four Geneva Conventions and explicitly breaches the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Unfortunately, the United States is not a party to that convention. It is worth noting that the Convention on the Rights of the Child is considered one of the most important human rights treaties in international law. Iran and the Zionist regime are both parties to it, but the United States unfortunately is not," he said.
"Targeting this school constitutes a clear violation of the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions, particularly the fourth convention, as well as Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In any case, countries who respect human rights and are concerned about it should condemn this action," Jalalian said.
165 people were killed in the attack on the girls' elementary school in Iran's southern province of Hormozgan, according to local reports. Most of the victims were pupils, with teachers, school staff and students' parents also among those killed.
Iran's deputy justice minister condemns US-Israeli attacks
