Artist brings traditional spectacle to younger audience

"There are two kinds of people in the world-people who love Peking Opera and people who don't know they love Peking Opera yet," said Wang Peiyu in the opening section of her latest 12-episode online show, the Wang Peiyu Peking Opera Show, which premiered on March 27 on streaming service iQiyi.

"My job is to let the latter know about Peking Opera and then let them fall in love with it."

The weekly talk show, the first of its kind, sees Wang, who is one of the best-selling Peking Opera artists in China, elaborate on the traditional art form as well as display its appeal and relay its history.

With a combination of various art forms, including singing, dancing, acrobatics and martial arts, Peking Opera, or jingju, has a history stretching back more than 200 years. In 2010 UNESCO declared it an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Like many traditional art forms, it is challenged by contemporary entertainment and is losing its audience, especially among the younger generation.

Wang is trying to reverse the trend. She has about 1.6 million followers on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo and has built up a large fan base among young people with her solid techniques and charisma.

Each episode, about 30 minutes long, sees Wang introduce her unique knowledge about Peking Opera with a particular theme, such as the making of a Peking Opera star, the process of preparing for a performance, and anecdotes about the age-old art.

She uses simple, direct and humorous language to appeal to the audience, and ends each episode with a dazzling performance.

One fan commented on Wang's Sina Weibo account: "Peking Opera is an art form, which is beyond my imagination. All I knew about it was the painted faces, jaw-dropping acrobatics and the lyrics, which I could barely understand, but thanks to Wang's show, I now know more about the art form and I look forward to watching a live performance."

Another fan wrote: "It takes a bit of patience to walk into the world of Peking Opera. The show provides a simple starting point for all of us, whether you know Peking Opera or not."

The 40-year-old Wang, a renowned female performer who specializes in playing laosheng (old male) roles onstage, has been credited with popularizing Peking Opera among younger people.

Born and raised in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, she began her specialist training when she was a middle school student.

She adheres to the tradition of the performing style of Peking Opera master Yu Shuyan, whose style is called yupai or the Yu School.