His world's a stage

As one of Peking Opera's top actors, Tian performed in back-to-back shows of Five Daughters Celebrating a Grand Birthday, staged at Mei Lanfang Grand Theater on Aug 25 and 26. The show is adapted from a Yueju Opera classic of the same name. Yueju Opera is a national intangible cultural heritage that originated in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, and is hugely popular in Shanghai.

Five Daughters Celebrating a Grand Birthday was the first performance of a newly founded youth troupe of the National Peking Opera Company. Tian was selected to play the lead role of Yang Jikang, a government official whose five daughters returned home to celebrate his 60th birthday.

The recent shows marked the 40th anniversary of the premiere of the Yueju Opera classic. The national company decided to adapt it into a Peking Opera production to offer young performers a chance to display their skills.