An Analysis of the Artistic Characteristics and Cultural Connotations of the Large-Scale Modern Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera——Taking the National Art Fund-Supported Play Village Moon Shines on the Returned as an Example

Since China’s reform and opening up, rapid urbanization has contributed to the decline of rural economies and rural spiritual cohesion. To support rural revitalization, the Jingmen Municipal Art Theater created the large-scale modern Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera Village Moon Shines on the Returned. Rooted in the folk culture of the Jianghan Plain, the opera focuses on new countryside construction and centers on Zheng Shishan, a second-generation migrant worker who returns to his hometown to start a business. The main plot follows his difficult process of rural construction, while the secondary theme concerns the reconstruction of rural spirit. The narrative interweaves capitalist erosion, secular temptation, and the ethical framework of implicit gentry culture, producing a dramatic and aesthetically appealing structure. As a rural realist work, the opera eulogizes the new era and conveys the main melody of the times through the distinctive tune of Jingzhou Flower Drum Opera. The work achieves aesthetic resonance by combining local operatic form, rural realist narration, and contemporary cultural values, demonstrating the artistic vitality and cultural significance of modern regional opera in rural revitalization discourse.