Tang's musical approach was well-received by the Japanese audience, though the opera was sung in Chinese with Japanese subtitles.

Shogo Arai, governor of Nara prefecture, says he did not expect that the story of Jianzhen's trials and tribulations to be presented in such a wonderfully musical way. "The performance tonight is a perfect interpretation," he says.

Daming Temple's Master Renru, who was invited to join the performance, sat on the edge of the stage reciting Buddhist scripts during the opera.

The opera was staged in Nara on Thursday and Friday, and will be staged in Kyoto on Tuesday and Wednesday.