Folk Chinese opera staged in Chicago

As part of Chinese New Year celebrations, a troupe of Southwest China's Chongqing Chuanju (Sichuan Opera) Theater presented traditional Chuanju excerpts to US audience members at the Chicago Symphony Center on Saturday.

The 2,500-seat center is a full house, with applause and cheers erupting from time to time.

The Chongqing Chuanju Theater presented five excerpts in the first half session of the show. The local dialect of Sichuan and the Chinese humor posed no obstacles to the audience understanding the plots of the play.

"The Taming of the Gambler," a story depicting how a wife educates her gambler husband with some afflictions and combining Chinese humor with acrobatics, has sparked rounds of applause and laughters constantly.