Acting was, is and always will be the first love of the National Peking Opera Company's new vice-president, Tian Lei,Chen Nan reports.
Huguosi Street was one of Beijing's(busy)commercial roads in the olden days. It also (house) the residence of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang(1894-1961). Not far from Mei's address, the first theater for Peking Opera (perform) was created in 1954, five years after the founding of People's Republic of China.
The neighborhood(change) over the decades, but the theater still stands tall and is (current) managed by the National Peking Opera Company. Tian Lei treasures the hours he spends there, training and rehearsing(排练). Wearing a costume and (arm) with a prop spear(道具长矛) , the 42-year-old walks confidently across the stage, (practise) a variety of martial art movements, before ending the drill with a liangxiang (striking a pose on the stage).
Tian has been working with the opera company for 10 years.Its premises(处所) are10-minute drive from the theater and his colleagues train there. He, however,prefers the historic stage."I come to the theater almost every day because I enjoy the peace and emptiness this building offers. Rehearsing here helps me feel closer the Peking Opera master once graced the stage."he says.