East Meets West in Chinese Opera Mulan

During the Beijing performance, Lei will share her role of Mulan with Tan Jing. Renowned tenors Yu Shuang and Sun Xuexiang will also divide the role of General Liu Shuang, the hero.

"We split the roles of Mulan and General Liu to offer young performers more chances to be on stage for the show," veteran singer Jiang Lina, who plays Mulan's mother, told the Global Times.

The opera was first staged in Beijing in 2004 with celebrated soprano Peng Liyuan playing the lead role of heroine Mulan, while tenor Dai Yuqiang acted as General Liu Shuang. A young generation of performers took over their positions in 2009, during which, Jiang's role of Mulan's mother stayed the same.

"I have performed with Lei Jia and Tan Jing after Peng Liyuan and I am happy to see them grow up and being recognized by the audience," Jiang said, herself the mother of an 11-year-old girl. "Looking back at the things we have been through, I feel they are daughters of my own."

Lei's debut in Poems of Mulan in Tokyo last year moved many audience members to tears when she suddenly knelt down in front of her mother before joining the army, which was not part of the original choreography. Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito met Lei after watching the show and spoke highly of her performance.

During Mulan, Lei makes several costume changes, from a delicate three-layer Sui Dynasty (581-618) dress to a men's military uniform and back and forth, which, according to the actress, is the most challenging part of the role, the slightly-built Lei wearing a 30-pound armor for nearly two hours each night.

Directed by Li Fuxiang, also vice president of the troupe, Poems of Mulan has received extensive recognition since its debut, with Peng Liyuan and composer Guan Xia honored as "outstanding artists" by the Lincoln Center.

Despite the work's international acclaim, Jiang said many people feel classical art such as opera is too far removed from their lives, adding that she would like to see opera performed at universities so young people could see, enjoy and become involved.

"My job is to perform at my best, but we also need audiences to appreciate it," she said. "If you think opera is still far away from you, try to step in just to watch it once and you may change your mind forever."

Editor: Feng Hui