Next generation sets the stage for art genre's future

By putting on the VR headset, the audience will find themselves standing on a narrow bridge winding its way through a lake. Take a few steps and the viewers will arrive at a pavilion in the center of the lake, facing a stage on the bank, where two performers are delivering a scene from the Kunqu Opera.

"As young people from the academy, we feel a sense of mission to explore new ways for the general public to learn about, and develop a liking for, traditional Chinese opera, such as using modern and advanced technology, while still preserving the productions' essence," he adds.

Another student Yang Xuhan, with a similar fascination about the art form and a slightly different approach, has been working for more than two years on a short animated film of The Peach Blossom Fan, a classical script written by Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) playwright Kong Shangren.

To present in merely five minutes the tragedy of 44 scenes with its grand historical narrative, Yang zoomed in on the love story between the two protagonists and adopted a slightly surreal style of visual expression, while inviting a student in music to compose the soundtrack using entirely traditional Chinese instruments.