Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe will launch the new Peony Pavilion, which will be performed in Shanghai Grand Theater from November 19 to 20.

Kunqu opera Peony Pavilion is the most famous representative work of traditional Chinese opera. Gu Haohao, director of the company, said that this Kunqu opera work has been adapted many times in the past decades.

The upcoming play will present all 55 acts of the play in three links, lasting for eight hours.

Director Guo Xiaonan rearranged Tang Xianzu's (1550-1616) script based on the script of the late playwright Wang Renjie, and pointed out that the play reflected the confrontation between society and Confucianism in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

The Peony Pavilion tells the story of a young woman named Du Liniang who died of lovesickness after dreaming of a romantic encounter with a man named Liu Mengmei. Encouraged by the governor of Hades, when Liu stayed in Du's garden, the ghost of the woman appeared.

Liu dug her out of the tomb and brought her back to life. He must prove to Du Bao, Du Liniang's father (a senior official) that his daughter has been resurrected and he will become a respectable son-in-law.

"Many previous dramas have focused on the love story between Andy Lau and Du Qifeng, but I believe the third scene is very important," Guo Jingming said during rehearsal before the premiere.

"All the loose ends are picked up, and the character reaches the final destination, where love overcomes the moral doctrine and the strict barrier between life and death."

The leading role will be performed by young artists Luo Chenxue and Hu Weilu. Cai Zhengren, a famous artist and former director of Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, praised this as a "bold and wise" decision.

Cai explained that Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe has trained several generations of Kunqu artists, and its continuous support for young artists is very important for the company.

Hu is a female actress who plays a young male role. In the past few decades, such cross gender performances have been rare in China's folk opera industry.

Yue Meiti, a famous female artist who plays a male role, witnessed Hu's great progress during the eight month rehearsal of the new work.

"Hu is always silent and leaves many ideas to himself. Thanks to the guidance of Director Guo, I saw her grow into a role in rehearsal."

Hu is one of the few goddess children directed by Yue Yue in recent years.

"She really liked the style of male characters and chose to focus on this field," Yue said.

"I have other female students who occasionally major in male roles, or just because they are tall, it is difficult to find suitable boys to perform duets."

Yue said that the Peony Pavilion is the "ultimate dream" of all Kunqu artists. "There has never been a perfect work. Every time you see it, you will find something new in it. The most important thing is that you can still improve classical opera and cultivate new artists with new works."

Gu, a senior Kunqu artist, said: "I have witnessed the rise of Kunqu in various times, from difficult times to prosperous times, to the era when new actors emerge and new audiences fall in love with art forms.

"I believe that in the near future, we will be able to take this Peony Pavilion, which was created with the efforts of our entire company, on an international tour."