An enduring performance

"I read the novel, Hong Yan, over and over again, to better understand the role. Jiang, besides her heroic spirit, is a woman who loves life. There are many details in the opera that showcase her femininity. For example, she often runs her fingers through her hair gracefully, even in prison and before her death," Wang Li says.

The veteran actress says she is deeply moved that many people, both the older and younger generations, are fans of Jiang Jie. After her show in Beijing, she will visit Zhang Guimei, a teacher working for female education in poverty-stricken mountainous areas, a fan of the opera and who, herself, was named among the 29 outstanding members of the Communist Party of China who received the July 1 Medal, the Party's highest honor.

"I had an online video call with Zhang one day during the rehearsals. She remembers all the lyrics of the songs in the opera and we sang Hong Mei Zan together over the phone, which was a very touching moment,"Wang Li says.

The singer also mentions that, when she played the role of Jiang back in 2007, she was lucky to receive training from veteran scriptwriter Yan Su (1930-2016) and composer Yang Ming, both of whom worked on the original version of the opera. Yang, who is 87, also works as one of the creative team members on this new version of the opera.

Before its original premiere in 1964, the composer, along with other creative members of the production, traveled to Sichuan province and Chongqing to collect material. Though opera is a Western art form, the composer combined Sichuan folk music and Chuanju (Sichuan Opera) into his compositions.

It's true that the opera has played a significant part of her career. As well as playing the role for 11 years, Wang Li also joined the CPC on July 1, 2008, while performing the opera in Wenchuan county in Sichuan province, after it had been hit by a devastating earthquake just two months earlier.

"When I played Jiang in Wenchuan, I felt that the opera is particularly powerful and inspiring,"Wang Li recalls.

Born and raised in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, the singer showed a talent for music as a child. She was a star performer in her kindergarten, primary school and middle school. As a teenager, her dream was to become a music teacher.

At age 14, she was enrolled to study music at Anhui Professional College of Art, where she learned operatic singing and Huangmeixi, a provincial form of traditional Chinese opera. Three years later, she traveled to Beijing to study singing at the China Conservatory of Music and joined the art troupe of the PLA Air Force after graduation, where she won lots of national music awards and played in both Western and Chinese operas.

"Now, I am preparing myself to launch a career as a teacher, which feels like fulfilling my childhood dream," says Wang Li, who will start teaching music in Beijing later this year, with invitations from schools such as the Central Academy of Drama and Beijing Film Academy. "Though I may not have opportunities to play the role of Jiang when I become a teacher, I will work with my students to keep the classic role alive."