An opera performer dressed as the Monkey King Photo: VCG

 CPPCC National Committee member Jiang Shengnan is a well-known scriptwriter and writer who has written a raft of prestigious works, including the ancient costume drama Legend of Mi Yue, which proved as popular as the hit Empresses in the Palace, and The Legend of Xiao Chuo, which was a hit in East Asia.

A veteran storyteller, Jiang told the Global Times that current hit AI (artificial intelligence) story and art generators have had a definite impact on literary and artistic creation. However, she pointed out that while AI may be able to replace some unrefined literature and art works, there is no way it can completely replace works with heart.

"The only thing AI can't replace is human being's emotional resonance, and only an outstanding art product can truly touch people's hearts," she said.

She added that law and anti-corruption drama works are becoming more popular among Chinese audiences.

With the fast development of society, people are paying more attention to the law than ever before. However, there are too few film and TV works in this genre, she noted, so more work needs to be done with the genre.

Jiang Shengnan Photo: Courtesy of Jiang Shengnan

 Besides being a writer, Jiang is also a research fellow at the School of Humanities of Wenzhou University in East China's Zhejiang Province and has created many operas. At the two sessions, Jiang is proposing that the government further promote the inheritance and development of Chinese Opera.

According to ­Jiang, Chinese Opera is a traditional treasure that has started to step out onto the world stage. For example, videos about the CCTV 2023 Spring Festival Opera Gala held in Wenzhou have spread to many other countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, France and New Zealand. 

Jiang sees Wenzhou as "the hometown of Chinese Opera" as the city is home to ancient classic and endangered opera styles such as Yue Opera, Ou Opera and Kun Opera.

Jiang called for the promotion of outstanding classic opera masterpieces listed as intangible cultural heritages through various national and local opera platforms.

"Traditional operas need to stay 'alive' and ­'sustainable' by ­cultivating audiences among the younger ­generation and creating a good ­environment for opera," she said.