Recently, the newly created Liuzi opera Old Justice Bao(Lao Qing Tian)was performed twice in a row at the MeiLanfang Theatre in Beijing. After a gap of 18 years, the Shandong Liuzi Opera Art Protection and Inheritance Center (Shandong Liuzi Opera Troupe) once again performed itsnew work in Beijing.

In previous dramatic works, Justice Bao was alwaysportrayedasa somber and authoritative character. In Old Justice Bao,however,the character of Bao Zhengis set to be serious with comic moments, breaking the stereotype in a refreshing manner.The performanceswereattended by both old theater fans who are over 50 years old and young audiences.Many people were still longingformore after the performance.

The Shandong Liuzi Opera Art Protection and Inheritance Center (Shandong Liuzi Opera Troupe) was established in 1959, and is the only professional artistic performance group of Liuzi Opera in China. During the creation and rehearsal of Old Justice Bao, the creators focused on integrating the rich and traditional artistic elements of Liuzi opera and maintained the traditional aesthetics,in an effort to rejuvenatethe old genre.

Liuzi opera, also known as Beidiaozi, is one of the ancient systematic tunes of Chinese operas, with a history of nearly 600 years. Because of its long history and rich tradition, Liuzi opera was included in the first batch of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2006.