Chinese Opera – Asian Arts NY

Watch: Kun Opera – Peony Pavilion

About Chinese Opera

Traditional Chinese opera (戏曲) is a form of musical theatre with roots dating back to ancient China, evolving over a thousand years and reaching its peak in the 13th century. It blends various art forms such as music, song, dance, martial arts, acrobatics, costume, make-up, and literature. Performers undergo years of training to master their roles, with exaggerated features and colors helping the audience identify characters. Chinese Opera has many forms including:

Peking Opera (京剧) is the most prominent form of Chinese opera. It originated in Beijing when the Four Great Hui Opera Troupes brought Hui Opera to the city in 1790 to celebrate the Qianlong Emperor's 80th birthday. By the mid-19th century, it had evolved into its present form. Popular in the Qing court, Peking Opera is now regarded as one of China's cultural treasures and was inscribed on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List 2010.

Kun Opera (昆曲) is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera, and it is known as the "ancestor of a hundred operas". It evolved from a music style local to Kunshan, part of the Wu cultural area, and later came to dominate Chinese theater from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It is known for its elegant lyrics, graceful style and delicate performance. UNESCO Cultural Heritage List 2008.

🎭 AANY Chinese Opera Academy

Enrollment Open – Starting September 20, 2025

Instructor: Wenhua Nie – First-class director and actress at the Shaanxi Opera Research Institute, inheritor of the Shang school of Peking Opera martial female roles, and multiple award winner.

This 10-session biweekly program welcomes students of all ages to experience the elegance and discipline of Chinese Opera.

Schedule: Biweekly, starting Sept 20
Children’s Class: 1:00–2:30 PM
Adult Class: 2:45–4:15 PM
Tuition: $40 per session (new students can pay per class for the first trial)
Location: Electric City Barn, 400 Craig St, Schenectady, NY 12307
Curriculum: Training in foundational opera movements—hands, eyes, body, method, and steps—plus performance techniques for Hua dan and Daoma dan roles. Build stage presence, refine posture, and experience the beauty of Chinese opera.

Adult Classes:

Foundation class
Posture & Movement (including fan and handkerchief technique)
Qingyi vocal class

Children Classes (5–12 years):

Foundation class
Posture & Movement

🎥 Performance Highlights
🏫 Teaching Video
📧 To register: ed@asianartsny.org

AANY Featured Artist: Linghui Tu

Linghui Tu is an award-winning performer, theatre director, and educator specializing in Chinese opera. A recipient of both the prestigious Meihua and Wenhua awards—China’s highest honors in opera. She holds advanced degrees in Theatre Performance and Directing from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts in Beijing, as well as an Educational Administration Certificate from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She currently serves as a volunteer faculty member at Binghamton University.

Tu has directed numerous acclaimed productions across China, including Kylin Seizing the Brocade, Party Fees, and Peony Pavilion, earning top prizes at national festivals. As a committed scholar, she has published widely on opera education, directing techniques, and performance theory in leading journals.

Since 2023, Tu has led a Peking Opera program in New York’s Capital Region, introducing this rare and vibrant art form to new audiences. Her upcoming Peking Opera musical, set to premiere on November 29th 2025, offers a bold and contemporary interpretation of a traditional masterpiece.

Photo: Linghui Tu in Performance

Chinese Opera Artist & Guzheng Performer

AANY Featured Artist: Liying Ye

Ms. Liying Ye is an accomplished Chinese opera artist with nearly 30 years of performance experience. A graduate of the Central Academy of Drama in China, she was recognized with the Outstanding Actor Award at the Young and Middle-aged Opera Competition from 1985 to 1991. She joined the Fujian Theater Artist Troupe in 1985 and was appointed a council member of the China Fujian Southern Chinese Opera Troupe in 1986. Ms. Ye is also a professional physical body shaping trainer and a talented Guzheng musician. From 2023 to 2025, she has performed widely at local Lunar New Year and multicultural events in New York’s Capital Region, receiving high praise for her expressive Water Sleeve dance and elegant Guzheng performances.

AANY Featured Artist: Wenhua Nie

Asian Arts New York (AANY) proudly featured Chinese opera artist Nie Wenhua, a nationally recognized Tier-One Director and acclaimed performer formerly with the Shaanxi Opera Research Institute. With an overall knowledge of Chinese Opera, Miss Nie Specialized in Wu dan, Daoma Dan,” Shang” style Peking Opera and Qin Qiang. Her award-winning works include Jinding Conquers Four Gates, Mu Ke Zhai, and Shouzhou Rescue.

In 2020, she received the prestigious Gold Foil Award as one of China’s most influential online opera inheritors. Her acclaimed production Bridal Chamber was featured on CCTV’s “Amazing” in 2023, and her 2024 play Blind Date earned the Excellent Repertoire Award at the Shaanxi Opera and Sketch Exhibition.

Ms. Nie has rich teaching experience for students in all ages. She recently joined Asian Arts New York, where she is dedicated to promoting Chinese opera and sharing its rich cultural legacy with global audiences.

Watch: Wenhua Nie Performance

Photo: Zhang Yaozhong in Performance

AANY Featured Artist: Zhang Yaozhong

Zhang Yaozhong – Shanghai Kunqu Opera performer, specializing in the Wenwusheng (civil and military male) role type. His major repertoire includes Tiao Huache (Pulling the Carriage), Shuangqiang Lu Wenlong (Lu Wenlong with Double Spears), Sijie Village, and Zhan Machao (The Battle with Ma Chao).

Since 1998, he has worked with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, performing Peking Opera and dance pieces. He has given performances at major universities in New York, as well as in Philadelphia and Long Island, and has also performed internationally in Singapore, Taiwan, Seattle, and Japan, where he received warm welcome and high praise from local audiences.

AANY Featured Young Peking Opera Artist: Qiyue Angelica Cooney

Born in Shanghai in 2013, Angelica has performed since preschool and trained in music, voice, dance, and acting. Fluent in Chinese, she sang a popular Chinese New Year song on a Times Union podcast in 2021.

In 2022, she impressed audiences with a solo at the Chinese New Year Gala in a traditional Empress gown, earning a repeat performance at The Music Studio’s spring concert. In 2023, she performed a Peking Opera–inspired piece from Farewell My Concubine at the Lunar New Year Gala.

Following her mother’s efforts to bring Peking Opera to the Capital Region, Angelica began training with renowned artist Linghui Tu. Since then, she has tirelessly performed at public schools, libraries, community events, and major stages, including the CCC Lunar New Year show at The Egg and the Nai-Ni Chen production at Proctors Theatre in 2025.