Entertainment> Celebrities

Peking Opera in Sydney

(China Daily)
2009-08-06 10:06

Li Yugang, the 2006 winner of Star Boulevard (Xingguang Dadao), CCTV3's popular talent show, premiered his Peking Opera show at the Sydney Opera House Tuesday night.

The performance was divided into four segments, with the 28-year-old singer presenting classic female characters such as Lin Daiyu from the Dream of the Red Mansion, Yuji from Farewell, My Concubine and Yang Yuhuan from The Drunken Beauty.

Influenced by his mother, an errenzhuan performer in Jilin province, Li took to singing and acting at a young age but did not receive any formal training until he performed at pubs and bars in Xi'an and impressed Ma Hongcai, a local Peking Opera actor who performs female roles. Ma trained Li in the Mei (Lanfang) School of opera and in 2006, he had a go at CCTV3's Star Boulevard. He became an overnight star, impressing audiences with his effeminate singing and acting.