Practically every sector has been affected in some way by the global pandemic. One of the worst-hit, the performing arts, where shows of all sizes have been canceled over the past few months. Some genres, such as Peking Opera, were already struggling even before the pandemic, and as you can imagine... the closures have been a bitter blow. Yet, some artists aren't giving up hope.
Despite not having an audience in front of him, Peking Opera artist Liu Zhen is still ready to put on a show. Singing the classic scene from Farewell My Concubine, Liu is sharing his passion for the art form on social media, which has become a daily routine since theaters shut.
Students learn Peking Opera at Liu Zhen's studio. /Liu Zhen
"The Spring Festival holiday season used to be our busiest time of the year, but everything got canceled. At first, I just thought, 'OK, my team and I can take a break'. Then it seemed like a never-ending break, and I started to really worry about what will happen next. What can I do to survive?" said Liu to CGTN.
Liu was professionally trained at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts as a Jing role or Painted Face Male Role. He now runs a Peking Opera troupe of his own.
Apart from performing at various events, the troupe also offers a wide range of Peking Opera classes for children and adults. He admits that teaching Peking Opera online isn't easy, but it shortens the distance between traditional theater and young viewers.
Liu's tudents are putting on makeup for Peking Opera performance. /Liu Zhen
"Like many folk operas in China, Peking Opera is all about the master protege model. It's best for the master to teach the students in person. So taking the whole educating process online is hard," Liu explained.
"But in order to survive, we've decided to make short videos on Tik Tok, by breaking down the concept of Peking Opera into little parts, like explaining a certain gesture or a certain scene from a classic repertoire. It's not systematic, but we believe it helps to draw more people to this quintessential art form," he added.
It's not yet clear when the global pandemic will be brought to heel, or how the crisis will shape the world's future, but Liu believes artists will still have a big role to play.
"I've been studying Peking Opera for 21 years now, and I see myself as an interpreter of the art form. People may think that Peking Opera is too hard to understand, and I just want to use my expertise to help people find the beauty of it," he said.