Trump on Show, a Cantonese Opera with a modern twist, has sparked criticism on social media for combining the traditional Chinese art form with political satire. 

Written by fengshui consultant and arts impresario Li Kui-ming, the opera ran April 12-15 at the Sunbeam Theatre in Hong Kong.

The story, follows 26-year-old Donald Trump as he visits China in search of his long-lost twin brother. During his time in the country, he is mistakenly treated as a member of the delegation traveling with then US President Richard Nixon. 

The show also includes many other major political figures in China, the US and North Korea.

Many audiences were disappointed with the "creative" opera.

"I am very disappointed since the opera does not have a good story and is not funny at all. The protagonists' character setting basically fails, and it is very weird to inject English into a Chinese opera," commented one netizen on Chinese media review site Douban.

"Traditional culture should not add too many political factors. The content of the opera is meaningless and the timeline is confusing. I have no idea what theme the scriptwriter was trying to convey through the opera," another netizen commented.

"I understand that Li is trying to introduce some fresh and popular elements to boost a decadent local opera, but it should be clear and have some logic," one netizen posted on Sina Weibo.

"I think as long as the political stance of the opera is correct, we can try adding some political elements to traditional opera," Yu Yong, the dean of the Cantonese Opera Theatre in South China's Guangzhou Province, told the Global Times.

Yu said Guangzhou's Cantonese Opera Theatre has staged operas with political messages such as Execution Ground at a Wedding, which tells the touching true story about two Chinese Communist Party members who fall in love but give their lives to keep party secrets out of the hands of the enemy. The opera was very popular among opera fans of all ages. 

"No matter if an opera is political or not, it needs a good script and excellent performances," Yu noted.  

Lacking any real historical background or basis in reality, adaptations such as this one are likely to damage the traditional art form, which needs to be protected.