Hit TV series revives popularity of centuries-old opera

With the popularity of the TV drama The Lead, Qinqiang, a centuries-old opera form that was once on the brink of obscurity, has drawn growing numbers of young audiences to theaters, while also boosting cultural tourism and related businesses.

The series, adapted from a Mao Dun Literature Prize-winning novel, chronicles the rise of Yi Qin'e, a young girl from a remote village who goes from herding sheep to becoming a celebrated Qinqiang performer. The role is played by actress Liu Haocun.

According to a seminar recently held in Beijing, the drama has been streamed over 1.08 billion times and achieved an average rating of 4.18 percent, with the most popular episode surpassing 4.65 percent — a remarkable figure, given that the threshold for a blockbuster hit is normally around 1.0 percent.

The drama has sparked enthusiasm for Qinqiang Opera among the younger generation. Searches related to the opera style on WeChat increased fourfold after the drama's broadcast, while the number of young audiences flocking to Qinqiang theaters surged by 80 percent compared to previous periods, according to the producers.

Riding on its popularity wave, multiple opera troupes in Shaanxi province — the heartland of Qinqiang — have seen a surge in both offline and online viewership. The Shaanxi Opera Research Institute launched special Qinqiang performances and livestreams featuring productions including Da Jiao Zan (Fighting Jiao Zan) and Yang Men Nyu Jiang (The Women Generals of the Yang Family), drawing a peak of 25,000 concurrent viewers and a total viewership of over 15 million.

Actress Liu said she felt lucky to have touched the "soul" of Qinqiang through the role. "Qinqiang is an art form that truly stays close to the land and its people," she said during the seminar.

"Performing in The Lead brought me closer to Qinqiang — it is grounded, sinewy, and at times feels as if it's about to tear open the chest and roar out the deepest emotions from the very core of one's being. It is like a living, spirited figure, carrying the wind and vigor of the Loess Plateau, allowing the listener to feel a surging vitality," added Liu.