Peking operas staged in Beijing to celebrate Spring Festival

BEIJING -- To celebrate the Spring Festival, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing will show performances of four classic Peking operas from Saturday to Tuesday.

There are hundreds of local forms of Chinese opera, of which Peking Opera is the most popular. Peking Opera is listed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as intangible cultural heritage.

Over the four-day period, four operas -- "The Pearl Shirt," "Guangtai Village," "The Unicorn Purse" and "The Rouge Pleat" -- will be performed by Beijing's Jingju Theater Company. They depict historical events or stories with the themes of love, friendship, loyalty, and changes in fortune.

Established in 1979, Jingju Theater Company is a professional Peking Opera performing arts ensemble that has performed in more than 50 countries and regions.

The Spring Festival, or Lunar New Year, is regarded as the most important traditional festival for those of Chinese origin, characterized by family gatherings, feasts and performances. It falls on Feb 16 this year.