Yuju Opera master Li Shujian to present shows at Yuyuan Garden Malls

Celebrated Yuju Opera artist Li Shujian, who is also an inheritor of the influential regional theater art and a national intangible cultural heritage, will cooperate with Yuyuan Garden Malls to present resident shows from January 21.

With a history of more than 300 years, Yuju Opera is a popular art form of China's Henan Province. Every year about 200,000 Yuju Opera performances are staged in China.

Li, a master in his 60s, and other theater artists will bring both classic and new original plays to the immersive small theater at Yuyuan Garden Malls.

They will also introduce tourists and local citizens to the charm of varied Chinese theatrical stunts like face changing and water sleeves, as well as martial arts skills on the stage.

Over the past decades, Li, winner of the Wenhua Award and the Plum Blossom Award, has been invited to perform at China Central Television's Spring Festival gala many times.

He has fostered more than 200 students including three foreigners. Li and his students have already brought the Yuju Opera to 30 or so countries and regions, including the United States, Russia, and Egypt.

Li noted that leveraging the advantages of Shanghai as an international metropolis, they hope to expand the international market for the art form and make the theater go global.

According to Wang Yiwen, an official with the Yuyuan Garden Malls, their small theater has become an iconic cultural venue for many kinds of theatrical performances.

"The settlement of Yuju Opera in our theater will further enrich people's cultural lives and cultivate more domestic and international audiences for the art form," said Wang.

In addition to performances, the Yuyuan Garden Malls will also set up a special counter for flavored snacks and specialties of Henan Province.