On the evening of July 12th, Xuehai (literally meaning Sea of Blood) troupe of Democratic People's Republic of Korea performed an opera A Dream of Red Mansions in Grand Liaoning Theatre in Shenyang, the capital city of northeast China’s Liaoning province.

Adapted from the Chinese classic A Dream of Red Mansions, the opera consists of 6 scenes and 12 episodes.

A Dream of Red Mansions describes the life and declining fortunes of a large feudal family. At the heart of the novel is a tragic love story between Baoyu and Daiyu.

However, the novel goes far beyond the tragic love story. It depicts a broad swath of society by describing a series of complicated conflicts and struggles, and ultimately predicting the doomed fate of a feudal society as a whole.

Xuhai troupe conveyed the theme of objecting feudal ethics and showed how happiness and freedom are sought in episodes such as "Daiyu buries fallen flower petals", "Daiyu sets love letters on fire" and "Baoyu cries before Daiyu's tomb".

Over 1000 people enjoyed the opera, including Chen Zhenggao, deputy secretary of Liaoning Provincial Committee. The audiences were impressed by the familiar storyline, graceful dancing and the skillful performance the actors put on.

The troupe was invited by the Ministry of Culture to perform in China. Before the troupe came to Shenyang, it performed in Beijing, Hohhot, Changsha, Wuhan and Xi'an. It will be performing twice in Shenyang and Dalian respectively.

By Xie Fang & Wu Wei