Western opera in Chinese
Chinese contemporary classical opera (Chinese: 当今古典歌剧; "dāngjīn gŭdiăn gējù"; "contemporary classical opera") is a musical art form drawing on western opera traditions - distinct from modern developments of traditional Chinese opera. One of the first western-style operas was "The White Haired Girl" (1940). Chinese-language western-style opera is to be distinguished the Revolutionary operas of the Cultural Revolution such as "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy" which were mainly an adaption of Peking opera with socialist text and subjects, with some influence from Soviet musical theatre. The 1950s-70s saw several patriotic socialist operas, such as "Red  Guards on Honghu Lake" (1956). Modern operas with a continuation of "realist" socialist elements include "A Village Teacher" (2009). China has several separate "geju" companies under the Ministry of Culture, parallel with the traditional Chinese opera companies. The most prestigious are the Beijing-based central "geju-yuan" China National Opera House troupe (CNOH), and the Shanghai-based Shanghai Opera House company. In each case the term "Opera House," "geju-yuan", refers to the institute or company, not to a fixed building or theatre. The street addresses of both companies are merely administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Other notable geju companies  around China include the Liaoning geju yuan, based in Shenyang and others. The status of "geju" has been boosted by availability of new world-class venues such as the China's National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing ("The Big Egg" on Tiananmen Square East) and the new Shanghai Grand Theatre. Since its opening in 2009 CHNCPA has staged operas such as "Xi Shi" and "A Village Teacher" in 2009, "The Chinese Orphan" in 2011, and the folk-opera "The Ballad of Canal" in 2012. The Shanghai Grand Theatre has similarly staged Chinese-language "geju" of the Shanghai Opera  House company along with Italian, French and German-language operas. List of works. The following includes some operas which are considered closer to the Chinese opera traditional model than "geju" or western opera. After founding of the PRC, 1949: Second wave, 1956-1966. A second wave followed National Music Week, 1956, which lasted till the last geju "Ayiguli" in 1966 on the eve of the Cultural Revolution. Taiwan. Tenor William Wu (吴文修) directed 《万里长城》The Great Wall with music by Yang Yao-chang (楊耀章) and a libretto by Pi Kuo (碧果). Premiered by the Taiwan Metropolitan Opera (首都歌劇團) 1993, cross-straits  production 1995.