Musical honors a talent of the ages

Li also invited his friend, Peking Opera actress Suo Mingfang, to play the role of Wang, Su Shi's wife. At 16, she married Su Shi, when he was 19. They had a happy marriage until Wang died 11 years later.

Su Shi was heartbroken. Ten years after Wang's death, he still couldn't forget her and composed a ci poem after dreaming of his wife. Dreaming of My Deceased Wife (to the tune of "A Riverside Town") remains one of his most well-known works. In it, he wrote: "For 10 years, the living of the dead knows nought. Though to my mind not brought, could the dead be forgot?"

The poem touched the actress so much that the adapted song turned out to be her favorite in the musical.

She says: "Su Shi used just a few words to express his sorrow, but it's so romantic!"

"I was trained to be a Peking Opera actress since I was a child. Singing a Peking Opera piece is totally different from singing a pop song," Suo says. "The role of Wang Fu requires me to combine two different singing styles."

Peking Opera, or jingju, has a history of more than 200 years and was recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010. It brings together art forms such as singing, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics.

As a veteran with the Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, this is her first musical, and she explains that it has been "very challenging".