Xiju Opera players perform Liaozhai: Purple Tail in Cairo from Sept 4 to 5. [Photo/WeChat account: news-wuxixinwen]
Wuxi's Xiju Opera performed for the first time in Egypt from Sept 4 to 5, presenting its experimental chamber piece, Liaozhai: Purple Tail, at the Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theater.
The show drew enthusiastic responses from local audiences, many of whom said they felt deeply moved despite not understanding the Chinese lyrics.
Performers pose for a group photo with the audience in Cairo. [Photo/WeChat account: news-wuxixinwen]
Based on Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) writer Pu Songling's classic ghost novel Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), Purple Tail tells of a scholar who receives a magical tail that grants wishes, only to succumb to his own greed.
The production blends traditional operatic singing with modern stagecraft, interactive performance and fantasy visuals, a style fans have dubbed Cyber Liaozhai. Performers step into the audience on multiple occasions, breaking the fourth wall and heightening the immersive effect.
Performers pose for a group photo with the audience in Cairo. [Photo/WeChat account: news-wuxixinwen]
An Egyptian theater professor called the work "transportive", saying it carried audiences from Cairo to China through its costumes, music and atmosphere. Cai Yu, head of the Wuxi Xiju Opera Theater, said that the beauty of Chinese opera needs no translation to reach the heart, adding that Eastern aesthetics had become a universal language.
The Cairo festival, running through Sept 8, features 15 competing productions from 13 countries and regions. The Wuxi ensemble's appearance is part of a broader international push: its symphony and folk orchestras have recently toured Europe and Canada with original Chinese-themed works, earning acclaim for their youthful energy and cultural fusion.
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