Chinese opera, Mining Town, is having its fourth round of performances at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing from Wednesday to Saturday.

Commissioned by the NCPA and premiered in 2022, the opera is based on a popular TV series with the same title, centered on the decadeslong battle against poverty in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Set in Xihaigu, the impoverished mountainous area in southern Ningxia struggling with a severe shortage of water, the tale chronicles efforts to get rid of poverty with assistance from prosperous Fujian province from the early 1990s to recent years. With relocation projects and a series of economic measures, the area has been transformed from a desert to a paradise, exemplifying China's efforts to eliminate poverty.

The Chinese opera, composed by Meng Weidong and with librettist Yi Ming, features music elements from Ningxia, especially hua'er which literally means flower in Chinese. Also known as "mountain songs", hua'er has performers singing with a distinct high pitch and is popular in Northwest China. For local people, hua'er is an important vehicle for expressing personal feelings and a popular rural entertainment.

Singer Sa Lina performs the unique songs of hua'er in the Chinese opera.

Chinese tenor Wang Hongwei and soprano Xu Jingjing plays the leading roles along with NCPA resident singers and China NCPA Chorus in the Chinese opera.

On Friday, International Women's Day, winners of the "March 8 Red Banner Holders" are invited to enjoy the Chinese opera. Initiated by All-China Women's Federation, the award winners are outstanding representatives of the vast women's masses, who have made extraordinary achievements in all walks of life.

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