Modern take on an ancient art

Apart from putting on performances of Peking Opera, the theater regularly holds public concerts. Wang and her colleagues have designed a series of interactive experiences catered to younger visitors, where they can put on Peking Opera costumes and makeup, and enjoy a short ride in a vintage rickshaw.

According to the authorities in Baoshan, the decision to let Wang Peiyu and her team manage the theater was based on the fact that she had set up her studio in the district a year before. During this time, she hosted workshops, a Peking Opera culture week and a series of mini-festivals to promote the art form and other aspects of traditional Chinese culture. Wang and her team also compiled a textbook describing the basic principles of Peking Opera-one of the first of its kind in China-which is currently being used by several schools in the district on a trial basis.

Dedicated life

The recipient of many honors, including the Meihua Award, the national award for folk operas, Wang Peiyu only began her training in Peking Opera when she was a middle school student in Suzhou, Jiangsu province.

"As a young fan of Peking Opera, I used to play laodan (mature female roles), and then laosheng (mature male roles), and I was lucky to be introduced to the Yu Shuyan school of laosheng performance," she recalls in her new book Tai Shang Jian, which was published by the CITIC Publishing Group.

However, after she had passed all the tests required for entry into the Shanghai Theater School, Wang was left with a sense of disappointment since they would not allow a girl to become a laosheng performer.

The most influential folk opera in China, Peking Opera began to win national recognition in the late 1700s. At first, the performances featured an all-male cast, and it was only until the early 20th century that female artists playing laosheng became commonplace.