In April, China Oriental Performing Arts Group, a national cultural group, founded its musical theater troupe. Musical actress Yu Yueyue was appointed as the deputy head of the troupe. 

Yu is one of the firsts to join the musical industry in China in early 2000s. Although having a successful career now, the actress has experienced the ups and downs. 

"After I graduated, the industry wasn't so prosperous or doing so well as it is now. At that time, it was a little difficult to support myself," the actress told CGTN.

Yu has starred in an original Chinese musical "Broken Bridge" which premiered in 2011. She did 100 shows during the tour but often couldn't get paid on time.

"We probably did 60 shows and got paid for 10," she recalled. "But we needed to live our lives during the tour. We didn't have any other income because we spent all our time on the tour."

"The audience didn't know much about musicals back then, so they wouldn't come to watch it," Yu said. "There were probably more actors on stage than people in the audience."

The actress said that they can't reduce the performance time or slack if there are only a few people in the audience, and they need to be fully devoted to every show. 

"I always felt sorry for myself when I got off the stage. I poured my heart into the show but couldn't gain the audience's approval," Yu said. "But it's actually not like that. The market is to be formed slowly, and the fans are also to be slowly accumulated."

Grow together with the audiences

A fan has left a message on Yu's social media account, saying that she watched "Broken Bridge" when she was in high school. Yu told CGTN that the fan has been watching original Chinese musicals up to now. As long as it is an original Chinese musical, although the production might not be very mature, she would buy tickets to support and write reviews. 

"She said there are not only actors but also audiences. We have grown together to get to where we are today," Yu recalled with a smile on her face. 

China's musical industry has seen rapid development in recent years. In 2021, the total number of musical performances nationwide reached 15,300, a 410-percent increase compared with 2018; the total box office in 2021 reached more than 1 billion yuan ($145 million), about 192 percent up from 2018, according to industrial reports from China Association of Performing Arts.

"I think our group of practitioners never gave up, but there were certainly many twists and turns along the way," Yu said. "I feel the spring is coming."

Inspirational female characters

Yu thinks the female characters she has portrayed are very radiant, which allowed actresses like her to show the high spirits and power of oriental women. 

An original China musical "Teacher Guimei," which tells the story of Zhang Guimei, principal of China's first all-free high school for female students from poor families, made its debut in September 2022. Yu was one of the actresses playing this great educator.

"I think this kind of work with realistic themes could truly influence many female audiences and their choices of future paths within the two and a half hours," she said, adding that she heard many female audiences say that they were deeply moved by this musical during the tour. 

"I want the characters I portray on stage to be inspiring. This is what I stick to when I choose characters," the actress told CGTN. 

To Yu, the power of musicals is that the actors are able to resonate with the audience in two hours. 

"The actors can feel the audiences' feelings and applauses and notice when audiences hold their breaths. The delightful and hearty experience gives the actors a great time on stage," she said. "The show is actually done by both the actors and the audience."

Videographer: Guo Huakang

Video editor: Guo Meiping

Cover image: Liu Shaozhen