On November 8, the play Huang Baomei, inspired by the life of July 1 Medal recipient, representative of the 8th National Congress of the Communist Party, national model worker, and outstanding alumnus from the class of 1960, Huang Baomei, premiered at the Yan'an Road campus. The drama follows Huang Baomei's life journey, portraying her transition from a young worker in a textile factory under harsh conditions to a model in the industry who drives the development of the entire textile sector. Before the Liberation, Huang Baomei bravely helped her coworkers retain their jobs despite facing harsh treatment from her supervisor at a Japanese-funded yarn factory. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Huang Baomei made significant contributions to the country by inventing the single-line circular, double-sided care work method, which improved production efficiency and product quality. Later, she studied at East China Textile Institute (now Donghua University) and continued to contribute to the textile industry after graduation. In her youth, Huang Baomei worked diligently to improve her cultural knowledge, actively participated in literacy classes for workers, and inspired her peers to progress together. She proudly joined the Communist Party of China and was elected as a model worker by the Ministry of Textile Industry. In her later years, Huang Baomei remained concerned about the textile industry. As a member of the Old Yang Tree Public Speaking Group, she shared historical narratives, the Party's innovative theories, and the positive changes in urban Shanghai during the new era, encouraging young people to create brilliance in their times. The entire play reflects the resilience, solidarity, and spirit of innovation of laborers in difficult environments, inspiring us to courageously move forward when facing challenges.
(Huang Baomei's invention of the single-line circular, double-sided care work method improved work efficiency and produced high-quality cotton yarn)
At the end of the performance, to the applause of the actors and audience, the spirited Huang Baomei took the stage, expressing her joy at seeing her story adapted into a vivid play. The students' performances were excellent, and I appreciate the school's support for the production of this play. All the students participating in the performance are from the 2023 cohort of the Film and Drama Performance program in the School of Fashion and Art Design, and they passionately portrayed the story of their peers from over seventy years ago, contributing to the best inheritance and promotion of the spirit of model workers.
(Huang Baomei, the prototype of the play, shares her viewing experience on stage)
To serve as a model for the best practices of Xi Jinping's cultural thoughts in Shanghai, DHU has deeply explored historical figures associated with its history, carefully crafting the original play Huang Baomei as a key project for campus cultural development. The play is jointly produced by the Party Committee Publicity Department, the School of Fashion and Art Design, and the Drama and Education Art Education Lab, with support from the publishing house, the labor union, and the youth league. On the fifth anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping's People's City concept, the university presents this original play telling the story of Huang Baomei, a witness and narrator of the construction and development of the People's City, to the city of Shanghai.
