Eight hours a day, seven days a week, Gao, Tianjun and their friends are on stage, impersonating Princes, Generals and Emperors. Keeping alive one of China greatest cultural heritage, its opera.Under scorching heat or freezing cold, they sing, dance and mime stories of love, wars and treason in front of a mesmerized audience of peasants. They go from villages to cities, year around, bringing with them stories of an ancient and long gone China. Their shiny and colorful clothes off, they live the low life, sleeping and eating on the floor, trying to make-do with the meager money earned from their skillful art.

In the countryside the troupe has set up stage and is in front of an audience of peasants wearing straw hats.

The performers backstage behind a painted set representing a typical Chinese landscape.

Backstage, opera artists are doing their own make-up. The make-up process is a difficult and key process in the art of Chinese opera. It take years for the artists to learn the skill. The make up is like a mask with highly symbolic meanings. It allo

The village has come to attend a representation of the opera.. Some haven't found room near the stage and are sitting on piles of coal at the edge of the village square. The region is is rich with coal and the troup belongs to a coal baron with a pa

The village has come to attend a repreentation of the opera..Mostly children are fascinated by this form of entertainment. For the new gernerations of Chinese, opera is difficult to undrestand and appreciate. It belongs to another era.

The village has come to attend a representation of the opera..Mostly children are fascinated by this form of entertainment. For the new generations of Chinese, opera is difficult to understand and appreciate. It belongs to another era.

During a performance of traditional Shanxi Opera (xi jiu). The artists are travelling from villages to city. They are performing since their youngest age. A hard life constantly on the road for very little money.

After a performance the artists wash their face taking off the make-up. Artists have to wear heavy make-up 8 hours a day which is both irritating and very damaging to their skin.

Artists are have gathered around a big noodle pot after the show. They have a cook that prepare the food for them. Because they don't have much money they rarely eat meat.

Member of the troup are washing themselves in a public bathroom. They usually can do that only once a week.

Members of the opera troup sleeping on the floor in the morning.

Two members of the opera troup waking up after a night on the floor. Members of the troup usually sleep in a communal building of the village or are hosted by villagers who are paid in cowl for their service.

People from the village are looking at a poster announcing the programme for the day. Usually one opera is played in the afternoon another one in the evening, each lasting 4 hours. The programme is chosen by the village committee who commissioned th

The troup is rehearsing a difficult move. Rehearsals take place in the morning, while the actors are on stage the whole afternoons and evenings, leaving little time off.

While a troupe member is enjoying a break backstage,  two young villagers are staring at him fascinated and somewhat scared.

Two actors during a break, backstage. Romance between members of the troupe is common and couples are formed.

Tha last show has just ended and a troupe member is starting to dismantle the set before moving to another location.

The troup is getting on the bus heading for their next destination. They usually spend 3-4 days in one location before heading to the next.

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