Photo: Courtesy of National Centre for the Performing Arts

A new play of Peking Opera by the Beijing Peking Opera Theater and Beijing Vocational College of Opera and Arts made its debut at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) over the weekend. 

Basing on a script by Ye Daying, the opera Wish tells a story that portrays young boys studying the art form of Peking Opera in modern Beijing. 

No matter if it is for adults or young children, Wish is a piece that can capture the interest of people who may wonder how a modern story can be presented through traditional opera. 

In order to better tell the story, the opera also introduces various roles to the stage, including geese. It was also actor Cao Yangyang's first experience bringing animals to the stage. 

"I was surprised about it when I first got the script. Since I started performing Peking Opera, I had never put on a costume full of feathers and played an animal," said Cao. 

After listening to the director's explanation of this role and studying the script, Cao found that "the big goose is a character with multiple meanings." Sometimes it is the embodiment of the leading role Lin Dalin's longing for fatherly love, and sometimes it is Lin's playmate when he is lonely.