New stage for Chinese Opera

Bai Yansheng hosts the show, which will start its second season in January. WANG XIAOXI/CHINA DAILY

"But we did not give up because we believed this was the right thing to do," says Bai.

"I wanted to appeal to the audience, who were not traditional opera fans. New fans, especially the younger generation, are the future for these old arts."

Meanwhile, Bai also invited five celebrities to be judges for the show, including Guo Degang - a comedian who specializes in xiangsheng, or crosstalk, a traditional Chinese art form - and Guo Baochang, a renowned scriptwriter and director.

Speaking about his experience on the show, the comedian, who started learning pingshu, a traditional Chinese art form of storytelling and singing, at age 8 and later learned other traditional art forms, says: "Traditional Chinese operas best represent Chinese culture and are almost a part of its identity. This is our art form because it uses local language and is full of traditional values."

Fu Jin, a professor from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts, who is also one of the judges, says that besides showing people how precious the art form is, traditional opera artists need to create works that audiences can appreciate and be interested in.

"With social media, you get instant feedback from the audience," says Fu.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn