This undated photo shows Liu Lisha, a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee and director of the Shijiazhuang Hebei Bangzi Opera Troupe, preparing for a performance in a village in North China's Hebei province. Her troupe delivers 184 performances on average in a yearlong traveling tour across Hebei province. In 2019, the troupe gave 194 performances, mostly in rural areas. [Photo/hebei.com.cn]

Since Feb 22, Liu's troupe has been uploading selected Hebei Bangzi opera episodes to its official WeChat account. As of May 20, there are 72 episodes available for mobile viewers.

Meanwhile, Liu and her colleagues have been vigorously promoting Hebei Bangzi opera through Kuaishou, a Chinese livestreaming platform, as their 150 fully booked, on-site performances had all been canceled due to the outbreak.

"The number of fans of our troupe's official Kuaishou account has increased steadily. We get some 20,000 to 30,000 new fans with each live broadcast, a good sign that a century-old local opera is drawing the attention of many more viewers in the new age. We've decided to make the 'cloud opera house' a regular part of our troupe's business," Li told local media.