A group of teenage Peking Opera performers on Wednesday brought to the newly-opened National Grand Theater in Beijing an impressive debut as well as hope for the perpetuation of the centuries-old art form.

The "Royal Concubine Yang of the Tang Dynasty," altered from a 1926 work by the late Peking Opera legend Mei Lanfang, was the first full-length opera show staged in the Grand Theater.

Peking Opera show "Royal Concubine Yang of the Tang Dynasty" is staged at the National Grand Theater in Beijing on Wednesday, January 2, 2008. (photo: ent.sina.com.cn)

In front of a full-house audience of amateurs and professionals, the performers from the Shanghai Youth Peking Opera and Kunju Opera Troupe, mostly teenagers, challenged to replay the classic. Their presence won unanimous applause.

Gratified audience members said that knowing the existence of such young Peking Opera masters, they believed that the traditional art form will not fade away in the modern world.

The show's two-day run at the theater will also include a masters' version presented by virtuosos from the elder generation, led by 73-year-old Mei Baojiu, Mei Lanfang's youngest son.

(CRI January 4, 2008)