Zhang Huoding performs as Yu Ji in Farewell My Concubine.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"She told me that every day she practiced sword dancing at the end of her daily rehearsal because it's energy-consuming," Fu said. "It's very difficult for her to control her breathing to sing after dancing with swords. But she performed the part perfectly."

Zhang said in an interview after her performance on May 25 that she was exhausted and sweating heavily, adding, "I could do the moves better if I was 10 years younger."

Born in Baicheng, Jilin province, she was introduced to traditional Chinese opera by her father, who performed Pingju Opera, a traditional art form popular in northern China.

Her elder brother, Zhang Huoqian, who began studying Peking Opera as a child, was trained to play qingyi－"graceful female roles".

In 1989, after graduating from school in Tianjin, Zhang Huoding joined a military Peking Opera troupe in Beijing, and from 1995 to 2008 she performed with the National Peking Opera Company. She now teaches at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts in Beijing.

She always keeps her hair short and neat, dresses in colorful outfits, but rarely gives interviews, keeping her personal life a closely guarded secret.

Ye Shaolan, a 78-year-old Peking Opera master who performed with Zhang Huoding in the classic piece The Legend of White Snake in 2016, said: "She really loves Peking Opera. Her life is simple and although she rarely gives performances, she practices every day in the rehearsal room at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts."

After watching her rendition of Farewell My Concubine, Ye wrote in a People's Daily article: "Zhang Huoding designed her moves and singing totally based on the role of Yu Ji. The performance style of the Cheng School blends naturally and convincingly in her interpretation, and the show deserves to be watched over and over again."