The Delicate Beauty

[Copper Award winner in the Reading Intangible Cultural Heritage writing contest]

Jiang Huange has been obsessed with opera since childhood.

But the opera world has its rules: women aren't allowed on stage.

Then her family suffers a sudden upheaval, and Jiang Huange steps into the world of opera, taking on the identity of Liu Xibao and vowing to win women who love opera a place in the spotlight.

The formal opera schools won't accept female students?

She'll use her talent to force her way in!

The theaters won't let her perform?

She can sing in a teahouse, too, and challenge Jiangnan's finest martial-role actor to a contest. Her performance in Four Gates of the Female Assassin makes her an overnight sensation.

People say it's no surprise a woman can sing female roles well.

She paints her face in bold colors, dons a lion-patterned cloak, and steps into tall square-toed boots, playing Jiao Zan better than any man.

In the end, women finally earn the legal right to perform on stage.

With opera fans cheering her on, she sells the most expensive tickets and wins the whole theater's applause!

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PS: Some parts of the story are based on real events. Whenever this happens, it will be mentioned in the author's notes.