On the evening of June 22, a Kunqu Opera performance titled The Peony Pavilion, an epic romantic tragicomedy based on a short story from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), took to the stage of Beijing’s Northern Kunqu Opera Theater, starring Wei Chunrong in the role of the female protagonist, Du Liniang. Despite having performed the part on stage over 300 times, Wei still arrived at the theater four hours early, being the first actress backstage to get her makeup done and inspect the props. This is a habit she’s maintained ever since first entering the world of Kunqu in 1982.
At 7:00 p.m. sharp, opened to a packed audience. Wei, dressed in a delicate pink gown, enchanted onlookers with her exquisite singing as her.
