Even the Hegemon-King of Chu Knelt Down, So How Could Peking Opera Die Out?

On a program celebrating traditional Chinese culture, a popular young star wows the audience with a Peking opera-style song, Yu Ji, and a performance of the tragic love between Yu Ji and Xiang Yu. He even claims to represent the Mei School, earning unanimous praise from the other judges!

Shen Ge, one of the judges, kindly offers him some advice, only to be publicly snapped at: “It's fine if you don't understand Peking opera, Teacher, but let me ask you this: I can have fun on this stage. Can you?”

Shen Ge smiles. He feels sorrow for this era.

“Just because you sing in a falsetto, you think you're part of the Mei School? You put on a bunch of ragged strips of cloth and really think you're Yu Ji? If that were all, it wouldn't matter!”

“But even the Overlord of Chu has been made to kneel. How can Peking opera not die out?!”

That night, he once again steps onto the long-sealed opera stage at Prince Gong's Mansion.

A Ruyi crown on his head, fish-scale armor on his body, a pair of mandarin-duck swords in his hands: “My lord, drink your wine and listen to Yu's song. Watch your humble concubine dance her sword one last time!”

Clang and clatter, flowing Erhuang melodies. Sheng, dan, jing, and chou, painted and powdered, all take the stage!

He will show the world Yu Ji's peerless grace. He will give this era a true shock of traditional Chinese culture!

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.