Fresh take on Tixiao Yinyuan enthralls Beijing audience

The novel has been adapted into various forms of art including Suzhou pingtan, which combines singing and storytelling by two performers, normally a man and a woman, who also play traditional musical instruments, such as pipa, in accompaniment to their performances on stage.

Pingtan first emerged in Suzhou, the prosperous city in Jiangsu province, and spread to neighboring areas, for the rich emotions and pleasant singing in the soft Suzhou dialect.