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

Jingju (better known as Peking Opera) Theater Company of Beijing would launch a one-month- long online event from mid-July to mid-August, including a free live performance broadcast through nine live streaming platforms on Wednesday, officials of the theater said on Tuesday.

The livestreaming on Wednesday would invite the theater's most popular actors as a tribute to the frontline medical staff who keep fighting against the corovavirus, and some charitable activities like public online courses to popularize Peking Opera would be launched afterwards, Fu Boyang, an employee of Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Jingju Theater Company has canceled a series of performances since January including 12 important shows which were scheduled to ignite the stage from the first day to the sixth day of the Chinese New Year, Fu said. He also noted that the local government has given some financial aid to help them get through the difficult period.

However, the theater did not totally shut down, but kept operating their official social media accounts for publicity and kept in touch with some fans in their group chat of the Peking Opera Club online by offering some guidance to improve the fans' singing skills who practice Peking Opera at home as a hobby.

Fu noted the Peking Opera lovers' enthusiasm did not reduce due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and on June 7 the theater launched a paid online performance and sold out more than 10,000 tickets. 

Following the first performance on Wednesday, Jingju Theater Company of Beijing will launch various forms of paid live performances such as Peking Opera concerts and Peking Opera instrumental concerts, according to the theater's official WeChat account.

"Many fans of Peking Opera cannot wait for the reopening of our theater, and we would reopen immediately once receiving related notice from the local government," Fu said.

He pointed that if the theater considers using the combined form of both online and offline show, it would depend on the feedback of the audiences since most audiences prefer to watch a live Peking Opera show.