"Great Men in Yuyangli" premieres at Nine Trees Future Art Center in Fengxian District on Thursday night.

A drama about Yuyangli, a key original site of the Communist Party of China, premiered at Nine Trees Future Art Center in Fengxian District on Thursday night.

"Great Men in Yuyangli," produced by the Shanghai Archives, reviews how the historical shikumen (stone-gate) complex became the place where Marxism was initially promoted and the Chinese Communist Youth League founded in 1920.

The No. 2 Yuyangli was once the Preparation Office of the First National Congress of the CPC and the former editorial office for the La Jeunesse magazine.

Chen Duxiu, a cofounder of the Party, moved to live in the house in early 1920 along with the editorial office for the La Jeunesse, or New Youth, a journal launched by Chen in September 1915 in Shanghai. It served as the major platform of the New Culture Movement that challenged traditional values.

Five people including Chen established the first early organization of the CPC to drive the combination of Marxism and China's overwhelming workers' movements. The preparation and communication for the first national congress was finished in the building before the congress was held in July 1921.

Actors and actresses rehearse at the Shanghai Archives before the premiere.

The drama tells the stories in Yuyangli between 1920 and 1921 through the eyes of two young neighbors of Chen. The lives of Yu Dongsheng, a young worker at a nearby textile factory, and his neighbor Yang Jiaying were affected by the "great men" in the neighborhood.

The bittersweet of the ordinary people reflected the origin and the great history of the Party, according to the archives.

Many historical documents and photos collected in the archives were used in the drama. The architecture, costumes and stage scenes were restored according to the photos taken in 1920s. The first Chinese version of the "Communist Manifesto" translated by Chen Wangdao, a key exhibit at the city archives, as well as the journey New Youth have been duplicated for the drama.

Zhang Yaojun, a deputy director at the archives, said the playwright was created based on the archives and historical documents such as the diary of Yu Xiusong, the first secretary of the Shanghai Socialist Youth League.

"For instance, Yu wrote in the diary that Chen Wangdao proofread the first Chinese version of the Communist Manifesto at the Yuyangli neighborhood," Zhang said.

Most of the actors and actresses are undergraduates from the Shanghai Theater Academy in their 20s.

"The characters in the drama are at the same age with us. Their stories and contributions to the country have become a major inspiration for us," said Song Guanting, a main actor of the drama.

Source: SHINE

Editor: Liu Qi