Gotcha at the opera

The show has been staged more than 60 times in small theaters around the country and has stood out from other Peking Opera shows in becoming popular among younger audiences.

"Members of the creative team are about the same age as the audience, mostly people born after 1980 and 1990," says Li, asked why the audiences can connect with the stories her works present.

"We've all grown up watching the same cartoons, TV shows and listening to the same music, so we all have the same reference points. We keep the shows' plotlines simple because it's easier for the audience to understand. There are also fewer roles in the shows than in big-budget shows."

Li's second Peking Opera work, A Love Beyond, will also be staged at Star Theater. It had its premiere in 2014 and is adapted from the novel Grinding the Jade Bodhisattva, a love story written by an anonymous author from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Li, 32, born in Linfen, Shanxi province, was introduced to traditional Chinese opera by her family, who all worked for a local folk opera troupe.

She started learning Peking Opera and local folk operas as a child. Her grandfather taught her to write Chinese by using lyrics from Peking Opera pieces. One of her hobbies as a child was to watch rehearsals in the theater.

Li received a bachelor's degree in dramatic literature from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts and then a master's degree in theater directing. After graduating she joined the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing in 2011 as a scriptwriter and director.

Like many young Chinese, Li is a fan of American and South Korean TV dramas. The scenes from TV dramas such as falling in love at first sight and reunion inspired Li to adapt classic love stories into her own interpretation or to create her own romance.