A scene from the original theatrical play The White Haired Girl starring artist Wang Kun (left). [File photo]

The opera, composed by Yan Jinxuan, was first performed in 1945 with artist Wang Kun in the leading role. Several remakes have been produced thereafter, including a Peking opera performance in 1958, a ballet version in 1965, as well as an opera starring soprano Guo Lanying and a namesake film adaptation in 1950.

This year marks the 70th anniversary since the birth of The White Haired Girl, the first play China composed after Chairman Mao Zedong's speech at the Yan'an Forum on Literature and Art in 1942. As a milestone in the development of domestic theater, the play is a fusion between Western performing arts and Chinese history, with folk art from North China and performing techniques in Western opera delicately woven together.