Where Peking Opera swirls into Xinjiang's folk song and dance

Born into an artistic family in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Ayqihra Abliz developed a passion for traditional Chinese opera at an early age. At 12, she was admitted to the Middle School Affiliated to the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, where she trained in Qingyi of the Mei School of Peking Opera. Now a college student majoring in drama, film and television performance, she still returns home during the holidays, where open spaces transforms into a giant stage with impromptu singing and dancing.

Ayqihra's envision a fusion of traditions: blending Peking Opera with Xinjiang's folk song and dances. For her, both are treasures of China's rich cultural heritage –  capable of intertwining, taking root, and flourish in the culturally diverse land of Xinjiang.