Brother and Sister Clear the Wasteland

Introduction

First staged in Yan'an at the 1943 Spring Festival, and called the first of the new yangge plays

Brother and Sister Clear the Wasteland is a yangge play created by the yangge troupe of the Lu Xun Academy of Arts; it was first called Wang Erxiao Clears the Wasteland and took its present title from the name audiences gave it. It was first performed on the square outside the south gate of Yan'an at the 1943 Spring Festival, and the little play caused a stir across the town. The script was written by Wang Dahua, Li Bo and Yang Luyou, and the music was composed by An Bo. Wang Dahua and Li Bo played the leads, and people went to the shows saying they were off to see Wang Dahua and Li Bo. Described as the first yangge play of the new yangge, this short form of song, dance and drama shaped the yangge plays and new operas written after it.

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