East meets West in musical treat

In 1790, four opera troupes from Anhui province performed for the 80th birthday of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and later stayed on in Beijing to develop their performance style.

Almost exactly a year later in Vienna, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart conducted the premiere performance of the opera The Magic Flute, about 10 weeks before he died at the age of 35.

Just as The Magic Flute went on to become one of Mozart's most famous operas, the musical style of the Anhui troupes also flourished, eventually becoming the Peking Opera, which is now regarded as a national treasure.