Air Force to present opera on test-pilot story

To celebrate 66 years of the establishment of the People's Liberation Army Air Force, its performing-arts company will stage a new Western-style Chinese opera this week in Beijing.

Titled Dream High in Aerospace, the opera tells the story of Chinese test pilot Yang Yibin, who is asked to test a new indigenous aircraft. It is also a time when his wife, Qiao Weiran, is diagnosed with cancer. To have him focus on the mission, Qiao decides to keep it a secret until Yang has finished his work.

"Audiences rarely watch stories about Chinese test pilots, who are a group of mysterious people for the general public," says Wang Jian, the scriptwriter from the Performing Arts Company of the PLA Air Force. "With this opera, audiences will get a glimpse into their lives, not just as the nation's heroes, but also as husbands, fathers and sons."