Online Yueju Opera shows gain popularity

Shanghai Yueju Opera House presented a new live online concert on the “cloud theater” on Saturday.

The public-interest concert is part of the troupe’s total of 22 online shows to be aired on the Cultural Shanghai Cloud, Douyin, Youku and iXigua till April 12.

Varied generations of Yueju Opera artists including Qian Huili, Wang Zhiping and Qiu Danli performed famous excerpts from “Butterfly Lovers,” “The Jade Hairpin,” “A Dream of Red Mansions” and “Legend of the White Snake.”

Veterans also talked about the unique artistry and charm of the age-old traditional Chinese opera.

Liang Hongjun, director of Shanghai Yueju Opera House, said that the Internet has shortened the distance between the art and audiences all over the world.

They are also pleased to see a sharp increase in the number of online viewers. One of their recent online shows attracted around 2 million viewers.

“Technology is the main challenge for online broadcast of the performances,” Liang said.

“We are gaining new expertise and experience in this field. It is also a good opportunity for us to promote Yueju Opera and cultivate a younger audience.”