改革者传奇人生重返上海舞台 - 2026年09月16日

The eponymous play "Shang Yang," centering on the famous reformer of China's Warring States period (475–221 BC), has returned to the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, exactly 30 years after its premiere.

Directed by veteran theater director Chen Xinyi, the play follows Shang's implementation of reforms in the State of Qin, recreating his sweeping and controversial life.

Chen said "Shang Yang" is a work into which she poured many of her reflections on life, portraying a "giant" – a great man of epochal significance.

"To me, Shang Yang is first a 'human being,' and only then a reformer," she said. "It is a battle that begins with defending life with life, an awakening of humanity. He destroyed slavery, yet tasted pain throughout his life."

As a resolute reformer, Shang was devoted to the public good and acted in the country's long-term interests; but his refusal to let personal feelings influence how he dealt with many people and matters put his own fate in danger. Perhaps it is precisely these profound, timeless themes that have given the play such enduring vitality.

It is worth noting that the Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center held a 30th-anniversary commemorative performance of "Shang Yang" on September 12. It featured Yin Zhusheng, who first played the role in 1996, together with Wei Chunguang, who played it in 2008, and Qian Hairui, a new-generation actor playing it in 2026.

Source: City News Service