Streaming through

"I learned to play hua dan (young female role), which many others learned as well. In order to win recognition from the audience, I had to be very hardworking, and practice and learn more."

An unexpected accident happened when she was practicing her dance in 2012. Chen hurt her leg badly after colliding with another performer during a rehearsal. Chen needed a big surgery, and initially the doctor was not sure if she would fully recover.

"It was a heavy blow to me. I felt like my dream was drifting away," recalls Chen.

"My hair used to be as long as my thighs, and when I was at a loss then, I cut it. When I saw my hair fall to the ground, I felt like my career as a performer was falling as well."

After receiving treatment, she rested for a while, adjusted her mood and returned. She had to give up the complicated acrobatic movements that rely heavily on legs, and intensified her efforts to practice other skills, in areas such as singing and "water-sleeves dancing" (a dance in long, white silk sleeves attached to the cuffs of a female character's costume), and was officially recruited by the Changsha Huagu Opera Center in 2018.