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Liu Geni, 11, lit up with excitement as she learned to sing a line of Kunqu Opera under the guidance of a master during a workshop at the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

After three years of learning Peking Opera, she grew fascinated by the 600-year-old Kunqu tradition and has already watched the full performance of "The Peony Pavilion" three times.

"I love traditional Chinese opera. The costumes are beautiful, and ancient Chinese people had profound wisdom," she said, adding that she hopes to become a performer one day and carry forward the charm of this rich cultural heritage.

Kunqu Opera, an elegant fusion of poetry, music, intricate costumes and graceful performance, was inscribed on UNESCO's list of World Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2001.

Written in 1598, the same year as Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Tang Xianzu's "The Peony Pavilion" tells the tale of Du Liniang, a young woman from a wealthy family who falls asleep beside a peony pavilion and dreams of a romantic encounter with a young scholar named Liu Mengmei.

At the workshop held on July 4 at the performing arts center, a Kunqu Opera director and two performers engaged with the audience, sharing behind-the-scenes stories and insights into the art form.

"I read ancient books to better understand and play the role of Du Liniang," said Shao Tianshuai, a Kunqu Opera master and deputy dean of the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre.

"Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest forms of opera in China, but our audience is very young. We use new expressions and try new forms to engage the younger generation in the traditional Chinese art and culture, breathing new life into our cultural heritage," she explained.

A Kunqu Opera concert held that same night was among the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre's innovative efforts to embrace modernity while reviving tradition.

During the concert, the musicians, who usually stay behind the curtains, took center stage and introduced Chinese chime bells alongside Western instruments like the cello to the audience.

"As long as the audience who love traditional opera are young, the opera is still alive with vitality," said Zhang Peng, director of a palace-style version of "Romantic Dream in Garden," a scene from "The Peony Pavilion."

Zhang also emphasized the importance of documentary records and cultural relics when creating the palace-style version.

"The performance costumes are made based on first-hand materials collected by the Palace Museum," he said. "We hope to show what Kunqu Opera was like when it was in its most glorious period."

The concert also unveiled the performing arts center's inheritance and innovation program for traditional Chinese culture this year, with a total of 11 works scheduled to be staged in the second half of 2025.

In 2023 and 2024, the center ran the program for two consecutive years, staging over 200 performances across a total of 40 works.

In addition to the program, the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center launched a Peking Opera course in 2018, which now has over 70 students. The center plans to establish a children's Peking Opera troupe and offer experience classes for adults, further contributing to the conservation and inheritance of traditional Chinese opera.

The passion and commitment of the performing arts center and the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre showcase China's determination to protect and promote its traditional culture. Indeed, recent years have seen a slew of plans and measures rolled out by the central and local governments in this area.

In January this year, China's State Council issued its economic policies on promoting the high-quality development of culture. In 2023, Beijing published a list of measures related to the protection of intangible cultural heritage.

"As an education major, I've noticed that traditional Chinese culture, such as opera, has been written into the textbooks," said Wang Yuyang, 25, a graduate student at Beijing Sport University.

Captivated by Kunqu Opera, he has watched five Kunqu Opera shows this year. "A friend first took me to see a Kunqu performance, and I instantly fell in love with it," he said.

"The team spent nine months meticulously crafting the costumes after extensive research in the archives, infusing innovation with a calm and composed confidence," he added.