As a tribute to the centennial of CPC, the original modern Yueju opera Love under the Walnut Tree gave its first performance in Tianqiao Theatre in Beijing on July 10. Being the only Yueju opera work selected to perform in the capital, the play shows the practice of how traditional dramas tell Chinese stories in modern days.

The play is based on a true love story between Wang Ronghao, a nuclear bomb technician and his wife Wang Xianqin in Xianrenkeng village, Shengzhou, a county-level city in eastern part of Zhejiang province. Due to the particularity of the work, Wang never told anyone about his job as a nuclear bomb technician, including his wife. The couple could only see each other one month every year for two decades, but they never complained, for they knew they were doing (supporting) a great thing for the country.

Yan Lingping, a senior Yueju opera fan, who is used to watching traditional Yueju operas, said the play is a new attempt.

"The play is very different from the traditional ones," Yan said. "It used a new style to tell us how the CPC has led the Chinese people to happiness and remind us to cherish the happiness we have now."

This year also marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Yueju opera. To celebrate the event, Shengzhou, the birthplace of Yueju opera, initiates the declaration of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

"This is the highlight of my 25 years of Yueju opera career," said Ni Jinjin, the leading actress of Love under the Walnut Tree, and the national second-grade actor. "To perform at this important time point in Beijing, the centennial of CPC and the 115th anniversary of the birth of Yueju opera, is a glorious experience in my life."

From Ma Yinchu, Yuan Xuefen to Love under the Walnut Tree today, Shengzhou Yueju Opera Troupe has been excavating local subjects in recent years. While gaining a growing influence domestically, Yueju opera also went abroad and won a high reputation in the world.