Building a bridge between Japanese and Chinese people: Discussion with Komin Shimbun regarding the 2026 revival of the contemporary play "The House of Music"

Cheng Bo, representative of the Kanwa Theatre Company and artistic director of this production of "The House of Music," Shang Lijuan, who wrote and directed the play, main cast member Guo Bin, and subtitle producer Baba Yukie paid a courtesy visit to Mochida Tetsuya, representative director of Komin Shimbun.

The group explained to Mochida the main content of "House of Music," the circumstances surrounding its premiere, and the social response it received. They expressed their gratitude to the Japanese and Chinese audiences and explained plans to stage "House of Music" again in 2026 in order to promote mutual understanding between the people of the two countries and build a bridge of friendship.

This plan has received the strong approval and support of President Mochida, who has expressed his intention to spread this good news widely throughout Japanese society so that more people will not miss out on this wonderful artistic experience.

During the discussion, Cheng Bo, representative of the Japan Kanwa Theatre Company, explained that the Japan Kanwa Theatre Company is an arts group primarily made up of Chinese artists living in Japan, and that in September of this year they performed a large-scale contemporary stage play, "The House of Music."

"The two performances on September 26th and 29th drew a much greater response from the audience than expected, and the play received high praise from audiences in both Japan and China, as well as experts from various fields. The contemporary play, 'The House of Music,' is a down-to-earth, authentic, trustworthy, vivid and moving portrayal of life in the overseas Chinese community. It has universal and profound social and educational significance, and has been praised as a valuable and excellent script that deals with contemporary themes in modern society."

Scriptwriter and director Shang Lijuan also explained her motivation for creating the play:

"Drawing on the experiences and thoughts I've accumulated over more than 30 years living in Japan, I aimed to convey to audiences the true lives of Chinese people in Japan that I've seen and heard with my own eyes and ears, as well as my own various emotions, through the form of performing arts. I aimed to paint a microcosm of the overseas Chinese community that has stepped out into the world since the Reform and Opening Up era. The starting point of the script was to convey the mainstream and positive energy of the overseas Chinese community in Japan from a positive perspective, hoping to help Japanese society understand Chinese people in a more comprehensive and truer way. Although we are a private arts organization, we take full advantage of the diverse talent available among the overseas Chinese community in Japan, and this production was also created to suit a large cast. We brought together excellent performers active in various fields, including theater, music, singing, and dance, and attempted to skillfully and naturally integrate these into the play. We sought to create a comprehensive stage play with a unique style that encompasses a variety of artistic genres from all angles."

Mochida said that although Japan-China relations are currently facing some twists and turns, it is precisely at times like these that we need to strengthen friendly exchanges between the people of Japan and China. He expressed his sincere expectations for the performance of "The House of Music," a play depicting the lives of Chinese people living in Japan. He said he looks forward to experiencing the lives and ideals of Chinese people living in Japan, as well as the wonderful performances of Japanese and Chinese artists.