Promotional photos for the China Peking Opera Company's London performance. Photo: Courtesy of Sinolink Productions

China National Peking Opera Company (CNPOC) returns to London's Sadler's Wells Theatre from Wednesday to Thursday this year.

It will be the fifth consecutive year that the CNPOC has come to London, and the company will perform two exceptional shows for UK audiences: a Peking Opera Gala night and the masterpiece Warrior Women of Yang. 

The Peking Opera Gala evening is an exceptional opportunity to experience an array of famous Peking Opera scenes, highlighting the various performance aspects of Peking Opera: music, song, mime, acrobatics, stage combat, exquisite costumes and painted faces. The evening will feature performances by the celebrated Peking Opera artists Yu Kuizhi and Li Shengsu, with famous scenes including "Drunken Imperial Concubine." 

On Thursday, the rarely seen spectacular Warrior Women of Yang will tell a story of grief, courage, patriotism and family loyalty. A cast of over 50 will mesmerize the audience with amazing stage combat and acrobatics. This show was last performed in London in 2015, gaining rave reviews and an invitation to appear on The One Show. 

Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, said that in telling China's classical stories through song and dance, Peking Opera is the finest example of traditional Chinese culture and carries the rich cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. "This jewel of Chinese culture has won the hearts of more and more British people," Liu said.

Kevin Zhang, director of Sinolink Productions, the company that helped bring the troupe to the UK, told the Global Times that it's a very exciting time for Chinese arts and culture in the UK, as interest among British audiences continues to grow. 

"Once again, the stage will be filled with an array of exciting acrobatics, superlative vocals and music amidst the drama of love versus patriotism, a fight against oppressors and the comedy of mistaken identity," Zhang noted. 

Promotional photos for the China Peking Opera Company's London performance. Photo: Courtesy of Sinolink Productions

Bev Lilywhite, production manager with Sinolink, told the Global Times that Peking Opera is a very different art form for Westerners. In order to help the audience better understand the Chinese performances, Sinolink Production brought them backstage by hosting a series of workshops to reveal the finer details of this intriguing art form at Oxford University this year and at the British Library last year.

"Peking Opera not only presents the spectacular costumes, face painting make-up and stunning stage crafts to the audience, but also explains the essence of traditional Chinese values. Keeping this ancient Chinese art form alive and sharing its beauty and stagecraft with the world is what we have been working on," said Peking Opera artist Yu Kuizhi.  

Peking Opera is a unique art form. To achieve the highest level of performing skill requires lifelong dedication to practicing the art. Most of the artists begin their training at a very young age at opera school before becoming an apprentice and learning from the masters. 

"It's a cultural adventure," Lilywhite said, adding that instead of traveling all the way to Beijing, people can enjoy the best Peking Opera performance in London.