page_title: Winter Begonia
section_title: Peking opera depictions
hierarchical_section_title: Winter Begonia / Production / Peking opera depictions
caption_attribution_description: English: Kunqu performance at the Peking University
context_page_description: Winter Begonia is a 2020 Chinese web television series starring Huang Xiaoming, Yin Zheng, and Charmaine Sheh, based on Shui Ru Tian Er's BL web novel of the same name. It aired exclusively on iQiyi and tells the story of the close relationship between a shrewd businessman and a Peking opera genius right before the World War II. While the original web novel depicted the relationship between the two main men as romantic, the adaptation changed this depiction into a "bromance".
  The show has been praised for its story, visuals and tasteful promotion of Chinese traditional culture, particularly Peking opera. iQiyi released a talk show named Wang Peiyu Peking Opera Show alongside the drama, which features Peking opera performer Wang Peiyu as she elaborates about operatic repertoire/traditions found in Winter Begonia and in real life.
  The series began airing on August 7 on Beijing TV at 19:30 CST.
context_section_description: To accurately depict the traditions of Peking opera on the small screen, production brought in experts of the craft to train the actors. The crew also invited 90-year old Peking Opera performing artist Bi Guyun as a drama consultant. Yin Zheng also received one month of closed training from the master. The crew also invited practitioners of specific styles of Peking opera, such as Hui opera, to direct the plays that are performed in the drama. As there were many scenes featuring Kunqu opera, it is reported that two Kunqu opera directors were needed.
caption: The character Shang Xinrui is a dan specialist, as pictured above.
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