The heroic tale of Liang Hongyu defeating her enemies on the battlefield has been portrayed in different art forms.
In 2014, the China National Peking Opera Company premiered its production, titled Madam Liang Hongyu, about this legendary female warrior of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
On Dec 12, a movie version of the production, with the same title, was screened nationwide.
The movie, directed by Gao Mukun and Liu Xuezhong, is a joint production of China National Peking Opera Company, China Digital Culture Group, and China Film Co Ltd. It features Peking Opera artists Dong Yuanyuan, Zhang Jianguo and Tian Lei playing leading roles.
Keeping the traditional Peking Opera stage set, the movie employs LED virtual production technology, allowing the background scenes to be dynamic.
Dong plays the role of Liang, a role she played in the Peking Opera production in 2014.
"The movie technologies capture and amplify the beauty of Peking Opera. We want to preserve the old art form and do our best to tell more people about the genre," says Dong, an award-winning Peking Opera actress, who was trained by Peking Opera master Mei Baojiu (1934-2016).
From September to December, the creative team of the movie traveled around the country to do promotions and unveil the behind-the-stage stories to the audiences.
