Imagine all the pedestrians suddenly turning into Peking Opera characters as you walk along a street. That's what happened on the stage of the Chinese play "Xi Wu," or "Perceiving Life Through Peking Opera," which wrapped up its latest round of performances in Beijing on January 1.

Directed by Song Tianshuo and starring his father Song Yan, the play tells the story of a battle between narcotics police officers and drug dealers.

A smooth blend of traditional and modern

The play creatively fuses traditional Peking Opera elements with modern theater. And this integration is actualized mainly through the externalization of characters' thoughts in a contemporary setting, Song told CGTN.

The protagonist, officer Dacheng, has had PTSD since the death of his wife, a Peking Opera actress who passed away wearing a stage costume. He hallucinates from time to time. And when he does, he sees people as Peking Opera characters.

"After adding this setting, we felt we were on the right path. This is what this story should be like," said the director.

At one point, Song adapts parts of traditional Chinese opera "Sanchakou," or "At the Crossroads," to externalize the characters' inner struggle. 

In "Sanchakou," two characters dressed in black and white fight in the dark with swords. 

In "Xi Wu," the technique is used to show the encounter between Dacheng and a drug lord. But instead of a violent fight, it is a tense confrontation.

"The confrontation between them is much like the fight between the two actors in Sanchakou," said Song, adding that he used two Peking Opera actors to externalize the tension between Dacheng and the drug lord.

Taking Peking Opera forward

Song, who started learning Peking Opera as a child, agreed that this traditional art form might not be very attractive to the youth.

"The stylized Peking Opera performances were extracted artistically from the lifestyles of those times," he said, "but we don't live like that anymore. Thus, the way of expression has naturally distanced from the contemporary audience."

The Peking Opera troupes are mostly state-owned. Song said that with governmental support, every troupe constantly explores and produces new works. 

"I think there will be qualitative changes over time," said the director, adding that a lot of Peking Opera lovers from other fields are also promoting this art form.

The back-feeding of online shows to theaters

Song participated in an online variety show as an actor in 2022, garnering a lot of attention and love from audiences.

"As theater actors, we all want more people to like us," he said, adding that online variety shows are a great way to promote actors.

Standing on the stage of "Xi Wu," Song noticed three types of audiences: Peking Opera lovers, theater lovers and fans of certain actors.

"They all reacted differently to different parts of the play," he said.

At the end of the play, everyone paid tribute to the narcotics police. "That's the meaning of this play," said the director.

In the new year, Song believes the theater industry will release the energy it has accumulated and bring more excellent works.

"It's bound to happen," he said.

Videographer: Tian Rongzhen

Video editor: Guo Meiping

Cover image: Yu Peng