Qinqiang Opera actors brave heat to bring smile to faces

Qinqiang Opera actors perform on stage at the Penggong village, Penggong town, Changwu county, Shaanxi province, August 14, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

Qinqiang Opera is a folk opera of Shaanxi known for its high-pitched singing, and has been an integral mode of entertainment for local people. For villagers at Changwu county of Shaanxi province, the most exciting tradition is temple fair, while the most important event in a temple fair is Qinqiang Opera performance.

The Changwu art troupe, a grassroots Qinqiang Opera troupe at Changwu county, recently staged 11 grand plays in Penggong village, and each play lasted for three hours. As it is still summer, the weather was quite hot, and since the play was staged outdoor without fan or air conditioning, actors had to suffer the heat. The heat was unbearable for some actors, especially those who had to wear thick costumes weighting more than 10 kilos, and thick makeup. So, once the performance was over, the actors quickly take their costumes off.