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Mo Yan’s Red Sorghum opera debuts in Beijing, embodying resilience, cultural spirit, and timeless rural vitality.

Beijing, China, Sept. 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the original opera Red Sorghum, adapted from Nobel laureate Mo Yan’s novel of the same name, and composed by Guo Wenjing, will premiere at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on September 27. Set against the backdrop of Gaomi, East China’s Shandong Province, this production reimagines the wartime narrative through the symbolic imagery of red sorghum fields, probing the essence of the Chinese people’s spirit.

In a recent interview with the Global Times, Mo Yan shared his thoughts on the philosophical core of the “Red Sorghum Spirit,” the creative challenges of adapting his literary masterpiece into an opera, and the global relevance of Chinese literature.

This is part of our Cultural Influencer series.

“Red sorghum is not merely a plant, but a symbol of the vitality of the Chinese nation,” Mo Yan, who won the 2012 Nobel Prize for Literature, told the Global Times. He anthropomorphizes sorghum, endowing it with the philosophical connotations of “uprightness, fervent passion, and unyielding tenacity.”

In his book Red Sorghum and the film version directed by Zhang Yimou in 1988, the sorghum fields serve not only as a cradle of emotion but also as a barrier against wartime adversity. Drawing inspiration from the historical Gaomi ambush in his hometown in 1938, Mo Yan transforms this event into a grassroots narrative of awakening “where personal grievances dissolve amid national salvation, and individual emotions yield to the greater cause of liberation.”

At its core, the work underscores the “Red Sorghum Spirit,” a metaphor for resilience and defiance rooted in cultural identity. “When the Chinese nation faced an existential crisis, it also underwent a momentous awakening and achieved unprecedented unity,” added Mo Yan.

‘Phoenix rebirth’

Mo Yan emphasized that the opera adaptation of Red Sorghum will inherit the spiritual core of the original work. He described the adaptation process as a “phoenix rebirth”: transforming the narrative details of the novel into musical imagery, while blending regional theatrical elements like Maoqiang (Shandong folk opera) and Shandong bangzi (a traditional Shandong drum opera) with symphonic orchestration to forge an aesthetic realm of Chinese style.

“Every adaptation is a reinterpretation of the original work,” Mo Yan admitted. Transitioning from novel to opera requires distilling the core spirit, merging secondary plots, and even reconstructing character relationships. For instance, the opera focuses on the central conflict of the ambush, portraying the metamorphosis from “wild growth” to “national awakening” through the fates of characters like Yu Zhan’ao and Jiu’er.

This process was fraught with challenges. Mo Yan recalled that when first attempting to write the script for the opera, he mistakenly applied traditional Chinese theatrical thinking. Later, inspiration struck through a painting titled Red Sorghum in the Snow by a hometown artist: snow-covered sorghum spikes, flame-like red sorghum, and blood-soaked fields… After seven revisions, he finally elevated the folk narrative of the novel into a “poetic aesthetic expression.”

Rooted in rural life

Mo Yan’s works are deeply rooted in rural life, and he has always maintained that the “local spirit remains timeless.” As the times evolve, rural life themed literature must also innovate. “Young people are not averse to rural themes as the key lies in how to infuse classic stories with contemporary spirit,” he noted.

Taking the opera adaptation of Red Sorghum as an example, he highlighted that through modern musical arrangements and lyrical reinterpretations, even time-honored narratives can “bloom anew” with fresh vitality.

This innovative spirit is also evident in other adaptations. From the film Red Sorghum to a Maoqiang opera and dance drama, Mo has consistently pushed the boundaries of artistic forms. He revealed that he will focus on script writing, including operas and plays, while “never abandoning the novel,” as it “carries the deepest intellectual inquiries of literature.”

Transcending oneself

When discussing the so-called “Nobel Prize Curse,” referring to the many writers who lose their creative “hunger and anger” after winning the world’s highest literary honor, Mo Yan stated that “anger” is merely one of the emotional states of the creative process, rather than an absolute prerequisite.

He emphasized that writing involves a complex interplay of emotion, including moments of exhilaration and introspection.

Ever since winning the prize in 2012, he has constantly reminded himself: “Forget about the award – stay true to my own path, and focus on my own work.” Thus, this curse “holds no power over me.”

Regarding the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on writing, Mo Yan has taken a firm stance: “AI can only mimic styles – it cannot recreate my unique style.”

He emphasized that a writer’s most valuable trait lies in originality: “I can create what others have never written and I myself have never written before.”

“Chinese literature has long been an integral part of world literature.” Mo Yan, using Gaomi Dongbei Town, a fictional literary landscape rooted in his hometown, as an example, highlighted how regional storytelling intertwines with universal human values.

He opposed simplistic judgments of Chinese literature through a Western-centric lens, instead advocating for a localized evaluation framework: “Works recognized by the majority are good works.”

Living in the age of short videos and fragmented reading, Mo Yan called for a return to holistic artistic experiences: “Long novels are irreplaceable by short dramas.” He said he firmly believes that “even if short videos are one day replaced by new art forms, classics like novels and stage plays will endure.”

“The World According to Gayle” is Oprah Daily’s video series spotlighting all things Gayle each and every month. Our editor at large is sharing her favorites of the moment, from buzzy new albums to comedy tours you’ll want to experience for yourself. Check back each month to see the latest!

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We’re in the month of September, so autumn is officially upon us. And with the change of season comes a fresh list of all the things to do and see. First up to add to your to-watch list is Highest 2 Lowest, the new crime thriller from the dynamic duo Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, which will be available to stream on Apple TV+ starting on September 5. And don’t forget to tune in to this year’s Emmy Awards on September 14 (I’ll be on the red carpet for CBS, where you can watch live, or stream from Paramount+). Ed Sheeran and Mariah Carey fans (that’s me!), get ready! Sheeran’s out with a new album, Play, which is available on September 12 wherever you get your music. And Carey, who is releasing Here for It All on September 26, will give us 11 brand-new songs. Polo Ralph Lauren recently released a new clothing collection celebrating the Oak Bluffs community in Martha’s Vineyard—if you haven’t gotten your hands on the collection yet, there’s still time to shop. Lastly, would it even be an episode of The World According to Gayle if we didn’t include food? This month, we’re taking a pancake tour, and you won’t want to miss these spots. Here’s this month’s video below.

I want to hear from you. Let me know what you think of my list on Oprah’s Insider Community. And what should I be looking forward to next month?

Gayle King is cohost of CBS Mornings. An accomplished journalist, King interviews top newsmakers and delivers original reporting to CBS Mornings and all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. She is also editor at large of Oprah Daily and hosts “Gayle King in the House,” a live, weekly radio show on SiriusXM. Since joining CBS News in 2011, King has conducted countless revealing and news-making interviews with world leaders, including former president Barack Obama, political figures, including Representative John Lewis’s final interview, and numerous celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, and Billie Eilish.

Moretz and Kate Harrison, a model and photographer, have been dating since 2018.

The couple announced their engagement on New Year’s Day this year on Instagram.

Before their private ceremony, the couple allowed Vogue magazine to photograph the final fittings of their wedding gowns, designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Louis Vuitton.

Chloë Grace Moretz tied the knot with her longtime girlfriend over Labor Day weekend.

The “Kick-Ass” actor married model and photographer Kate Harrison during a private ceremony, reports Vogue, which was on site when the brides were doing the final fitting in Paris for their custom Louis Vuitton wedding dresses.

Moretz posted photos of herself on Instagram rocking a baby blue gown along with images of Harrison wearing a white dress with a sweetheart neckline and a birdcage veil. Both gowns were designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, longtime artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s women’s collections.

“It just feels like me,” Moretz told Vogue. “I never really envisioned a wedding dress in my mind growing up, so when we started talking about what that would look like, I knew I would do something non-traditional, and not wear white, and kind of have it feel different, and I think it really does.”

In the Instagram post, the star of “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” also showed off her after-party look, a custom jacket with cut-outs and trousers, which was inspired by a 2019 Louis Vuitton runway look. She accessorized her outfit with a white cowboy hat. Meanwhile, Harrison, who has modeled in campaigns for J. Crew and Topshop, wore a bodice and trousers with a sheer overlay on top.

“A big part of the wedding [is about] sharing things that Kate and I love with everyone that’s going to be there,” Moretz told the magazine. “So there’s fishing, horseback riding, and poker. Kate made a custom poker mat herself, so we’re going to kind of be leaning into it. Our second day is going to be line dancing and everything.”

Moretz came out publicly as a gay woman in November of last year via Instagram, but she and Harrison have been dating since 2018. The couple gave curious fans a peek into their mostly private relationship when Moretz announced their engagement in a New Year’s Day post this year on Instagram.

“We’ve been together for almost seven years and making this promise to each other in a new way, and exchanging these vows,” Moretz told Vogue. “I think it’s important to just stay every day choosing each other.”