Foreigners display their Chinese opera chops on TV

With the growing influence of Chinese traditional culture, an increasing number of foreigners have been captivated by the country's rich heritage of traditional operas. For example, the second season of Metaverse of Chinese Opera, a highly acclaimed variety show broadcast on Shandong Television, has introduced some talented foreigners who are showcasing their Chinese opera performance skills.

Running since early June, the program consists of 10 episodes and will conclude on Aug 12. It has seen topics pertaining to the show generate over 600 million engagements online, with related short videos being viewed over 65 million times.

Additionally, it has trended on popular social media platforms like Sina Weibo more than 380 times, said Wang Zhong, the deputy head of Shandong Radio and Television Station, and the show's chief planner, during a recent seminar held in Beijing.

In the second episode, several teams of foreigners showcased their traditional opera talents. The first team, known as Wu Zhou Yue Tuan, or "Five Continents Orchestra", is a quintet consisting of performers from Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, Nigeria, and China. They embarked on a journey to Huanggang in Hubei province, the birthplace of Huangmei Opera, where they learned the intricacies of musical performance from local artists.

Meng Guanglu, vice-chairman of the China Theater Association, said the program innovatively employs new media techniques, including a virtual reality host and computer-generated animation technology, to reinterpret traditional classic repertoires, providing novel avenues for promoting traditional culture.