A monumental work in the history of Chinese ballet, “The White-Haired Girl” is a successful example of using a Western artistic form to tell a Chinese story.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the ballet. In 1964, teachers and students from Shanghai Dance School collaborated to stage “The White-Haired Girl” at the 5th Shanghai Spring International Music Festival. The following year it was developed into a full-length ballet of 90 minutes.

Many of the ballet’s original cast members are now more than 60 years old, but they are still fondly remembered for their roles.

On April 30, Shanghai Ballet celebrated the anniversary at Shanghai Grand Theater, giving a nostalgic performance for the generation who grew up watching the ballet.

“The White-Haired Girl” was adapted by Hu Rongrong, Fu Aidi, Cheng Daihui and Lin Yangyang into a ballet from the opera of the same name. Shanghai Ballet has performed the production more than 1,700 times around the world.

Xin Lili, artistic director of the local troupe and a second-generation dancer cast in the role of the white-haired girl, says 50 years means so much.

“I’m happier when someone praises dancers from the company rather than myself,” she says.

The ballet has influenced several generations of Chinese people with its historical connotations and lasting romance.

In 1979, Shanghai Ballet was founded on the basis of “The White-Haired Girl” group. The ballet was restaged at the end of the 1980s.

This year is also the 50th anniversary of another original Chinese ballet, “The Red Detachment of Women” by the National Ballet of China.

Together they are known as the two “revolutionary ballets” and both remain all-time favorite Chinese ballet productions since they contain distinctive Chinese characteristics that have contributed to world ballet.

While most people are familiar with the three classic Tchaikovsky ballets — “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker” — China’s “revolutionary ballets” added political and revolutionary themes that became extremely popular during the 1960s and 70s in the country.

Xin says audience can see how the artistic spirit is reflected in the production even though different generations of artists have worked on “The White-Haired Girl.”

In celebration of the 50th anniversary, Shanghai Ballet invited the original creators and three generations of dancers to reunite in Shanghai.

The story

Set in the 1930s, “The White-Haired Girl” tells the story of Xi’er, daughter of a poor farmer who is sold to their landlord Huang Shiren to pay the family’s debts. She later sees Huang beat her father to death.

After suffering in Huang’s home, Xi’er escapes and flees to the mountains, where she lives for many years without adequate food, causing her hair to turn white.

Eventually she is rescued by the Eighth Route Army and is fortunate enough to be reunited with her lover Wang Dachun, now a soldier in the Eighth Route Army.

“The White-Haired Girl” is based on the true story of Luo Changxiu,

The opera version moved millions of Chinese to tears. The ballet version soon followed, blending traditional folk dances with ballet.

The music includes a large number of vocal passages. Songs like “The Blowing North Wind,” “Tying the Red Ribbon” and “Longing for the Rising Red Sun in the East” became very popular at the time.

In 1950, movie directors Wang Bin and Shui Hua adapted the story into a black-and-white film. A film version of the complete ballet was made in 1972.

The creators — Cheng Daihui and Lin Yangyang

Cheng Daihui, one of the original choreographers of “The White-Haired Girl,” was a dancer with the China National Song & Dance Ensemble in the 1950s before becoming an instructor at Shanghai Dance School in 1960.

Now in her 80s, Cheng remembers the excitement they felt, along with being nervous, when they were asked to create the original Chinese ballet.

“We had to drop the cane and walk on our own,” Cheng said at the reunion forum. “The leadership had great faith in us and the public gave us support. We, a group of instructors and dancers who didn’t study choreography, took up the assignment of adapting ‘The White-Haired Girl’ into a ballet.”

They were given little time to make it into a full-length ballet. “There were no days off for us,” she recalls. “We had classes to teach, and we thought about choreography and making changes on weekends and in the evening. Even when we walked, we were thinking about ‘The White-Haired Girl’.”

Cheng says none of them knew what to expect when the ballet made its debut and they were surprised by its success.

“Chairman Mao also praised (‘The White-Haired Girl’) after watching it. We were very excited, and felt we had to contribute to the Chinese ballet,” she says.

Lin Yangyang, another choreographer on the original production, says the ballet broke creative boundaries.

“The film and opera versions provided popular music that’s easy for the public to receive,” Lin says. “But we absorbed many elements from traditional folk dances and set the groundwork for creating Chinese ballet productions.”

Two of the original choreographers, Hu Rongrong and Fu Aidi, have died, but Cheng says their contributions will never be forgotten.

“We will never see some of the familiar faces again,” Cheng says. “They have contributed so much to ‘The White-Haired Girl’ and we could never and should never forget them. Their contributions will last forever with the ballet.”

After watching the current cast of “The White-Haired Girl” rehearse, Cheng says they are technically superior to dancers from the past but they could deepen their acting by learning more folk dancing moves.

First-generation dancers — Mao Huifang and Yu Qingyun

Yu Qingyun was one of the two women first cast as the white-haired girl, Xi’er. Due to the physical demands and costume changes required, two dancers were used in the role of Xi’er.

Now living in Canada, Yu flew back to Shanghai last month to meet with fellow dancers and choreographers.

In 1966, Yu graduated from Shanghai Dance School. While she was a student, Yu danced the leading role in “The White-Haired Girl.” In 1967 she performed in the special show at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

“I chose ballet as my lifelong career, and I’m very proud to have participated in creating and performing ‘The White-Haired Girl’,” Yu says.

She moved to Toronto in 1990 and started a ballet school.

Yu says she remembers going to Sichuan with other original cast members to visit Luo Changxiu, who was the person the story was based on.

“We lived with her for a while, even cut firewood on the mountain with her to really get a sense of her life,” Yu recalls.

After the ballet became a success, dozens of dancers from across China came to Shanghai to learn the role from Yu.

“It was a shocking and fun scene, I couldn’t remember the names of all the dancers, so I called them like ‘Guangdong white-haired girl’ and ‘Shanxi white-haired girl’,” Yu smiles.

Mao Huifang, who now lives in the United States, was the other original dancer in the role of Xi’er.

“I’m very grateful to come back today, thinking of our teachers and how much they have dedicated to creating the ballet,” Mao says.

She says sh’s very proud when “The White-Haired Girl” was granted the “Classical Award” in the Chinese Classical Dance Competition of 20th Century in 1994.

“I’m also touched that the younger dancers can perform it so well, expressing the emotions of the characters even though they never lived during that period,” Mao says.

The new generation — Fan Xiaofeng and Wu Husheng

Fan Xiaofeng is the first principal dancer of Shanghai Ballet and the current “white-haired girl.” She took the starring role in the anniversary performance on April 30 with another principal dancer Wu Husheng as Wang Dachun in the ballet.

Fan entered Shanghai Dance School in 1989 and joined Shanghai Ballet upon graduating in 1996. In 2000, she won the gold medal in the senior division at the 19th Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria. She was also invited as a guest principal by Australia National Ballet.

“When it was the 40th anniversary, I just came back from Australia and watched the performance at Shanghai Grand Theater,” Fan says. “I remember thinking, ‘Will I be dancing it 10 years later?’ and fortunately today I’m honored to dance the role.”

Fan says every new dancer joining Shanghai Ballet learns their first role from “The White-Haired Girl.” One has to be able to do it in order to be a dancer at the ballet troupe.

Wu, who joined Shanghai Ballet in 2003 after graduating from Shanghai Dance School, has danced leading roles in both classic and contemporary productions. He won the silver (no gold medal given) and Igor Youskevitch awards at the 9th New York International Ballet Competition in 2007.

“I’m excited every time we have veteran artists visiting us here, it is very warmhearted,” Wu says. “For our generation, we have a huge responsibility.”

He says they have to forget about the pressure and be confident, work toward their goals and inherit the cultural legacy.

“We learn from yesterday and the masters, enjoy and cherish the present, and expect a better future,” Fan says.