On December 25, 2012, actress Liu Xiaoqing performed the stage drama Fenghua Juedai (The Beauty), which tells the story of famous courtesan Sai Jinhua, a legendary but controversial figure in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province.

Sai Jinhua was born in 1870 or 1864 and died in 1936. She was the best-known courtesan during the turn of the century. She toured Europe with her ambassador husband and mastered foreign languages. After her husband died, Sai opened a high-end brothel in an effort to pick up where she left off before her marriage. When Western troops occupied Beijing in 1900, the royal officials fled, leaving civilians to fend for themselves. Using her diplomatic skills and her feminine bewitchery, Sai was able to beguile General Alfred Graf von Waldersee and stop him from slaughtering civilians. She was also believed to play a key role in the significant peace negotiation.

The historical legend comes alive onstage when portrayed by Liu Xiaoqing, a screen legend with an equally colorful story. The actress is entering her 60s while playing the 18-year-old courtesan. Liu Xiaoqing is a “National Class One Performer” and winner of the Golden Rooster Award and Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress. She was probably the first Chinese woman since the country's reform to proclaim her right to love, fame and controversy.