A new Peking Opera generation takes the stage

"Wuxi, or martial play, is the cornerstone of the fighting and movement aspect in Peking Opera. It blends traditional Chinese martial arts, stylized combat and choreography with music and rhythm," says Wang Yong, president of the China National Peking Opera Company, speaking at Beijing People's Theatre on Friday.

"Wuxi is not only a signature element of Peking Opera but also a cultural treasure — fusing martial discipline with theatrical storytelling. It's a living expression of China's martial and artistic heritage, performed onstage with style, grace and physical mastery," he adds.

In 2022, the China National Peking Opera Company launched the wuxi showcase project as a way to cultivate new talent and introduce a new generation of young performers to the public.

"Wuxi scenes are often the highlight of any Peking Opera performance. Even people unfamiliar with the story are drawn to the spectacle, intensity and martial arts movement," says 29-year-old actor Wei Pengyu, who joined the company in 2018.

During the Friday performance, Wei appeared in an excerpt from The Battle of Fushan, which tells the story of two brave scouts — He Tianbao and his disciple Lu Zhiyi — on a dangerous mission to infiltrate Fushan Mountain, a lawless stronghold taken over by two bandit chiefs.

"It's a story about heroic sacrifice, which is common in Peking Opera's martial art plays," says Wei, who plays Lu Zhiyi, the younger scout killed during the mission.

Born in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, Wei was drawn to Peking Opera as a child — not by the music or stories at first, but by the colorful, striking facial masks that brought the characters to life. At 14, he moved to Beijing to attend an arts school, where he began formal training in Peking Opera, specializing in wusheng — a male role type focused on martial arts and physical performance.