The Fated Love, an experimental Peking Opera piece with storylines taken from two classical Peking Operas, and featuring a female and male impersonator, will be performed at the Temple Theater Beijing Opera House beginning this Saturday and running through Monday.

The performance is expected to enthrall audiences with its unique storyline, visual effects, and graceful singing.

The story is based on the classical Peking Operas Concubine Mei and You Long Xi Feng, and depicts the fate of a woman who has to make a decision while confronting her lover from a previous life. The first part focuses on the rivalry between Mei and Yang Yuhuan, two concubines of Emperor Xuanzong from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

In the second part, Concubine Mei is reincarnated into a woman named Li Fengjie during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who meets and falls in love with the reincarnated Emperor Xuanzong, who is the fool for Emperor Wuzong, and is faced with the dilemma to accept his love.  

The opera will feature Liu Xinran, a female impersonator, along with male impersonator Li Jing. Liu, who was lauded for his performance in Cao Qiqiao, will play both the gentle Concubine Mei and the shrewish Li Fengjie in the upcoming opera.

"We've made a lot of changes to the storylines from the two works we borrowed from. This piece is not only about putting the two stories together," said Wu Yiping, the artistic director of the producing company.

"On the whole, the story is interesting and inspirational, especially the ending. It may not be within the realm of common expectations, but it's still sensible, and the audience will still be able to feel the entangled nature of love," he added.

According to Wu, in order to help promote the concept of Neo-Peking Opera, the work will feature more modern and artistic elements.

For example, a live female band, which will play traditional Chinese musical instruments, will also improvise with the actors performing on stage.