New blood for an old art

Young performers who work in conventional weekday jobs savor the traditions of Peking Opera on the weekends. Chen Nan looks behind the grease paint and the swordplay to see why.

Liu Feng doesn't spend weekends going to karaoke bars or cinemas. Along with a dozen of his friends, the graphic designer drives for over an hour to Shijingshan district in western Beijing.

There are not many people hanging out around that area, since it is far from downtown. However, the sounds of traditional Chinese instruments, such as erhu, drums and cymbals, ring out from a small theater inside Shijingshan Cultural Center.