The voice of stardom

One of the most renowned opera artists from China, He made her European debut in Parma, Italy, performing Tosca in 2002. Prior to this, she had little experience in major opera performances, except for Verdi's Aida, which was performed at the inauguration of the Shanghai Grand Theatre in 1998.

Aged 29 when she was first featured in Tosca, He felt she didn't possess enough experience for the role. New to the Italian opera scene, she could only speak English, and had to look up the dictionary to learn the Italian lyrics.

Fortunately, one of the best interpreters of the character, Bulgarian diva Raina Kabaivanska, was there to walk her through the entire piece, explaining the personality, temperament and motivation, and mapping out the detailed emotional response of Floria Tosca, a tempestuous opera singer fighting to save her lover Cavaradossi from an evil police chief named Scarpia.

"More than 20 years have passed, I still benefit from what she taught me," says He.

"It was the first time I spent the Chinese New Year abroad, all by myself," she adds, recalling the anxiety and loneliness she felt while getting ready for her first performance of the opera at the Teatro Regio di Parma.