Age-old regional theater art has increasing appeal with foreigners

The influential regional theater art Yuju Opera, which has a history of over 300 years, is gaining increasing popularity among foreigners.

Yuju Opera is a popular art form of China's central Henan Province. About 200,000 Yuju Opera performances are staged in China every year.

Yuju Opera "inheritor" Li Shujian and about 200 of his students have performed the art in about 30 countries and regions. Among his students are also nine foreigners.

Sime Nkemeni Darrin, one of Li's foreign students, comes from Cameroon. He is also a doctoral student of martial arts culture at Henan University.

Darrin started to learn Yuju Opera from Li and his senior Liu Zijie in 2018. Now Darrin can sing around 20 classic excerpts and he has also showcased them for his family and friends in Cameroon.

"The vivid stories, characters, music and rhythm of the opera enchant me," said Darrin. "It's difficult to grasp all its vocals as they have distinct characteristics and styles."

Before he came to China, Darrin, an enthusiast of Chinese kung fu films, thought China was a mysterious country.

"Studying Yuju Opera is a rewarding experience for me to understand and appreciate the beauty of Chinese culture," he said. "It is so amazing that various age-old art forms and traditions are so well preserved in China."

In Darrin's eyes, Li is a respectable master. During the mentorship, Li told Darrin that it is even more important to be a good person than a good performer, and a good performer never puts on airs on the stage.

Zou Capriaty, another student of Li from Madagascar, has studied Yuju Opera for one year. Li's rich expression and charming tone on the stage impressed her. Now Capriaty can sing songs from three excerpts of the opera — "Hua Mulan," "Dadeng Hall," and "Chaoyang Village."

"In the process of learning, I gradually feel the charm of Yuju Opera," said Capriaty. "It helps me to gain a deeper understanding of Henan Province and the Chinese culture."

She has already shown her family and friends how beautiful Yuju opera is through short videos.

"There are many art forms of Chinese opera, and behind them there is brilliant culture and profound history," Capriaty said. "I hope one day I can explore them."

In 2025, Li will have several more foreign students who are attracted to traditional Chinese theater. In Li's opinion, traditional Chinese operas need to cultivate both young talented performers and young audiences. To cater for the young generation, he will also present live streaming shows and interact with audiences.

Since Yuyuan Garden Malls' Beaufort Terrace will soon be renovated and upgraded, Li's residency at the immersive small theater will temporarily end. In 2025, he will cooperate with the theater space at the Asia Mansion on Jiujiang Road to launch a performance and exchange season of traditional Chinese Operas. The theater space is close to the Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall, a popular destination for tourists from across the world.

Li and his team will also continue to expand the art's international audiences and incorporate the art into more tourism programs for people to get closer to its glamour.

Yuju Opera is not the only Chinese theater that tries to spread its charm to the international market. The Shanghai Peking Opera Company has also announced it will stage the Peking Opera version of "Hamlet" at the Shakespeare Festival in Denmark in 2025.

Additionally, a lot of stage classics such as "The Height of the Early Tang Dynasty" and "Farewell My Concubine" have been adapted into Chinese opera movies by celebrated filmmaker Teng Junjie. These movies which have been honored at international film festivals will be exhibited to a larger overseas audience in the future.