"Voyage to the East: A Fearless Buddhist Master's Mission to Japan," is an original Chinese contemporary opera. And it wowed an audience in Los Angeles' s Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Saturday.

The story of an eminent monk who became the symbol of cultural exchange between China and Japan is being shown to audiences in the United States through the lens of a familiar art form in the West – opera.

The opera follows Master Jianzhen, who agreed to go to Japan, having faith that it was his sworn task in life to risk all to bring true Buddhist precepts, as well as the Chinese culture, history and engineering techniques to the neighbor to the east.

The Buddhist master and his companions suffered through 12 years of failed attempts, involving shipwrecks, arrests for alleged piracy, charges of sorcery, and many other hardships before they reached Japan's shores.

Many audience members said they were touched by the persistence of Jianzhen and his commitment to his belief.

The cast of Chinese opera singers was led by Tian Haojiang, performing the leading role of Jianzhen. Tian is an acclaimed bass who has spent 20 seasons with the New York Metropolitan Opera. He's given over 1,400 performances in 50 roles in opera houses all over the world.

He said he has found a spiritual connection with the Buddhist master while playing him.

"To play Jianzhen, you have to enter his inner world, to find his belief, why he's so persistent. We know that he made the journey to Japan six times and failed the previous five times. When he finally arrived, he was over 60 and blinded by disease. Playing the character has been a spiritual journey for me, to find my own belief.”

Zheng Zeyun, President of China-Jiangsu Performance Arts Group Co., said, "We've been working on the project since 2012, and gathered the best talents. Although the story took place in the East, we hope to transfer the value of the story across the Pacific Ocean, to the West. In doing so, we hope to improve Sino-U.S. relations and play a greater role in the cultural exchanges between American and Chinese peoples."

After its Los Angeles run, the show will travel to New York on June 22 and 23. There it will be staged at the David H. Koch Theater in the Lincoln Center, home to the Metropolitan Opera.