Vibrant Xinjiang: How a Xinjiang girl became a Peking Opera actress

The year 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Home to various ethnic groups, including Uygur, Kazakh and Kirgiz, this fertile land thrives as people of all backgrounds walk hand in hand, writing a vivid chapter of shared happiness.

Ayqihra Abliz is a college student majoring in drama, film and television performance. Born into an artistic family in Urumqi, she developed a passion for traditional Chinese opera. At the age of 12, she was admitted to the Middle School Affiliated to the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, where she specialized in Qingyi of the Mei School of Peking Opera. During holidays, she enjoys visiting parks to soak in the joyful atmosphere created by grandparents singing and dancing among the older generation in Xinjiang.

Ayqihra believes that both Peking Opera and Xinjiang's song and dance traditions are treasures of China's rich cultural heritage. She sees them as capable of integrating with each other, taking root and flourishing in the culturally diverse land of Xinjiang.