'A Bite of Peking Opera'

Shi said this group of pictures began last June with Meng Liang and Jiao Zan, two characters in Mu Ke Zhai, a well-known Peking Opera. She painted what the two look like after being burnt in a fire (as happens in the story): they are depicted as brochettes.

"It was right after the documentary A Bite of China was broadcast and a friend said what I painted was 'a bite of Peking Opera.' I thought it was a good idea and painted more," she said.

These lovely cartoons do not come easily. Shi must spend from four to 10 hours on one picture, depending on the complexity of the figure. "Each [figure] has a fixed image on stage. I need to be faithful," Shi said.

All the figures are drawn strictly based on their images, with details in costumes and headdresses. "The most difficult part is I cannot make a mistake in the details," said Shi, "I cannot change their costumes as I like. They are really complicated."

Shi prefers characters that appear frequently on the stage and are known by the majority of opera fans. "I plan to draw 54 in total, to make it enough for a poker card game," she joked.

Innovative storytelling

A Bite of Peking Opera is not Shi Junling's first attempt to represent Peking Opera with cartoons. People can easily find online a series of cartoon stories titled May I Tell You a Peking Opera Story? that she began drawing in December 2011.

"I came up with the idea naturally," Shi said. Born in 1980s, Shi was attracted by the stories in Peking Opera since childhood.

The first story she told in the series is Da Tan Er, a famous play in Peking Opera. In Shi's cartoon, the usurping story from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was told through cute and lifelike cartoons. Many netizens praised her work, not only for the little cartoon figures but also for the humorous dialogues. Time and again fashionable slang phrases pop up, adding modern color to the ancient story.

Following the same cute style, she posted another story called Youlong Xifeng (Meilong Town), a love story between an emperor of the Ming Dynasty and an ordinary waitress.

Both stories circulated widely online. "I didn't expect Peking Opera could be so interesting," one netizen exclaimed. Others said they would go to see the original Peking Opera after learning from the cartoons.

The official Weibo for CCTV's Studio Theater, a TV program that broadcasts live or recorded Chinese drama, posted Shi's cartoon of another classical Peking Opera story, The Marriage of Dragon and Phoenix, to promote its live broadcast on New Year's Eve. "Those who are not familiar with the plot can take a look at the cartoon first," the program suggested.

Shi said she was glad to read the comments. "I didn't expect my pictures would have such an effect since I drew them out of [personal] interest," she said, "It would be great if it helps make more people like Peking Opera."