Audience gets into character

At the time, watching and learning Dian Opera was a popular pastime in local villages.

In 2009, Zhang's grandfather, Zhang Yong, founded Yunnan's first private Dian Opera Museum on the former site of the old Niujiezhuang opera stage. In 2014, it was designated as a provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Inheritance Base.

The museum housed century-old opera costumes, props and musical scores. It also regularly staged Dian Opera performances and invited professional performers to teach traditional techniques. But as times changed, audiences dwindled.