Modern twist to traditional opera format

A new Yueju Opera production — “The Love Between Mountain and Sea” — will be staged at the Majestic Theater on Saturday and Sunday.

The play deals with China’s poverty alleviation efforts and their effect on people’s lives and emotional needs.

The spectacular Shanghai Yueju Opera House production involves more than 160 on stage and behind the scenes. 

Liang Hongjun, the opera house director, said Yueju Opera usually tells romantic stories set in ancient China. Liang hopes this production, based on modern-day stories, will bring a new vitality to the traditional art form and cultivate new enthusiasts.

The play tells the story of how a young Shanghai woman alters her misunderstandings about her father who is sent to a rural village to help with poverty alleviation work. After she volunteers to work in the village, she witnesses the devotion of many people to improving others' lives.

Scriptwriter Li Li said many days were spent in villages in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces before the story was complete. 

“Shanghai has offered generous support to many villages with poverty alleviation,” said Li. “There is a touching emotional tie between the village people and local people.”