"I remember when I was young, my mentor Mei Lanfang, his daughter Mei Baoyue and I staged The Drunken Beauty together, when he started to sing, the audience began to laugh," Du recalled. "Backstage, he asked the manager of the theater why, later he figured out that it was because the three of us looked so much alike."

Inheriting the extensive repertories of Mei Lanfang, Du's stage presence and interpretation is flamboyant and engaging.

Du's work The Legend of White Snake was staged Monday in Beijing, starring one of Du's pupils, Ding Xiaojun. Differing from traditional works, the production was complete with choreographed battle scenes, glittering costumes and modern intonations.

"My teacher adapted and expanded the story of White Snake based on a few excerpts performed by Mei Lanfang," Ding explained.

"The action scene represents the innovation in fighting techniques and costume design of the Mei school. It greatly dramatizes the show," she added.

As one of the current generation of Peking Opera performers, Ding cites her influences as television, film and new media.

"The centuries-old plots that bear no relevance to modern society are of little interest to today's youth," Ding explained. "The problem we are facing now is the lack of stage opportunities and audience members."

"It's not that we are not interested in Peking Opera," commented Zhang Xin, a college student who attended The Legend of White Snake. "We bought tickets to watch the show in order to have a taste of it."

"But the lines are hard to understand and young people today do not have enough opportunities to be exposed to it," Zhang added. "I'm sure if Peking Opera stars organized concerts like pop singers do, they would draw a huge crowd."

In recent years, the government has gone to great lengths to preserve Peking Opera and encourage its development. Modern theaters such as the Mei Lanfang Theater have been built to boost audience numbers. The teaching of Peking Opera has also been introduced into primary and secondary school curriculums.

"For me, Peking Opera is something you have to spend time to understand," Ding explained. "The next step for us is to walk onto campuses, to spread Peking Opera among younger generations."

"There are signs of recovery for Peking Opera," Ding added. "As living standards improve, people pay more attention to cultural pursuits."

Editor: Feng Hui