CHANGCHUN - Opera performers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday staged "The Butterfly Lovers" in Northeast China, marking the start of a three-month performance tour of the opera around China.

The opera, adapted from a famous Chinese love tragedy, was staged by the Phibada Opera Troupe in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's Jilin province.

Artists integrated Korean styles of singing and dancing into their telling of the story about of a pair of lovers who turn into butterflies after their love is not blessed by the world.

After the two-day run in Changchan, the troupe will take the opera to other Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenyang.

It is not the first time for the troupe to perform an adapted version of a Chinese literary work. In 2010, the troupe brought an operatic adaptation of the literary masterpiece "Dream of the Red Chamber" to China.