Innovative designs enable performers to breathe life into traditional tales

Artists perform a concert with traditional instruments on the Water Mirror Stage in the Jinci Temple in Taiyuan, Shanxi province. ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY

On an ancient stage in Shanxi province, Liang Jing, a 39-year-old Pu Opera actress, posed beneath the intricately carved eaves of the traditional structure. As she opened her mouth to sing, her clear, resonant voice filled the space, reverberating through the beams and pillars.

Shanxi, a land rich in cultural relics and traditional opera genres, boasts over 3,000 ancient stages, accounting for more than 70 percent of China's total. The oldest surviving stage dates back to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).

The stage Liang stood upon was the Ox King Temple stage in Weicun town, Linfen city. Constructed in 1283 during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), it is one of the nation's oldest extant ancient stages with a confirmed construction date.

"Ancient stages are vastly different from modern theaters," Liang said. "Modern theaters have expansive stages and sophisticated lighting, catering to a more refined and mass-market presentation of opera. Ancient stages, on the other hand, are rustic and full of life, deeply rooted in local customs and integrated into people's daily lives."

Having grown up surrounded by opera, Liang began her artistic journey at the age of 12. In 2025, her decades of dedication culminated in the prestigious Plum Blossom Award, the highest theatrical award in China. Yet, she found performing on ancient stages to be a more authentic and grounded experience.

"It's all about the actor's true skill and voice, without relying on elaborate sets," she said. "The audience, the stage, the history and the performer merge seamlessly. The unique atmosphere, the sense of ritual and the cultural depth are elements that modern theaters simply cannot replicate."

In Liang's eyes, every brick and tile of an ancient stage holds the weight of history, every beam and pillar contains the essence of traditional Pu Opera.

In April, a network media campaign titled "What is China? — Cultural Heritage on Rooftops", organized by the Shanxi Provincial Cyberspace Administration, invited artists such as Liang to explore the unique acoustic advantages of ancient stages. "There is virtually no modern amplification equipment," Liang said. "It's all about the actor's natural voice."

In order for performances to reach audiences dozens of meters away in ancient times, the actors really had to project themselves.

Professor Yang Yang, head of the Chinese Ancient Stage Acoustics Laboratory in Shanxi University, has spent 18 years studying ancient stage acoustics.

His findings reveal the stages are more than just architectural structures. Sophisticated designs, including urns placed beneath the stage, hidden urns within the walls, and specially designed openings in the backdrop, create a unique acoustic system for the space.

Liang Jing performs on the Ox King Temple stage in Linfen city, Shanxi, on April 21. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"These special structures allow actors to hear their own singing clearly and avoid going off-key, and they use the architectural form to evenly distribute the sound outward," he said.

Yang said that Western concert halls are often enclosed spaces. In contrast, Chinese ancient stages are typically semi-open courtyards that utilize the terrain, wind and water reflections to create a "lingering sound" effect. The Black Dragon Temple stage in Qikou town, Lyuliang city, for example, leverages the topography of the Yellow River gorge and the river's sound wave reflection, allowing the sound to travel across the river. The old saying "Shanxi sings, Shaanxi listens" is a testament to the ingenuity of ancient spatial design, as the river is a natural borderline between Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces.

Shanxi's prominence as a hub for ancient stage acoustics research is no coincidence. During the Yuan Dynasty, folk activities such as temple fairs, ancestral worship ceremonies and weddings in the Jinnan (southern Shanxi) area required performances on stages, leading to a boom in stage construction and performances in every village.

Deng Dijiao, an associate professor at the School of Drama and Film Studies at Shanxi Normal University, said all eight surviving Jin and Yuan dynasty stages with confirmed dates are located in Shanxi. The Erlang Temple stage in Wangbao village, Gaoping city, built in 1183 during the Jin Dynasty, is the oldest existing stage in China.

After performing on the 800-year-old Erlang Temple stage, 15-year-old opera performer Hao Chenrui said,"Standing on this stage, I can truly feel the unique charm of traditional culture."

Remarkably, the Erlang Temple stage, devoid of any amplification equipment, possesses a natural amplification effect. Wei Chen, the site's cultural heritage protector, explained: "The stage has no large beams. Instead, it uses dougong (bracket sets) to support the roof. The three surrounding walls effectively gather the sound."

In Yuncheng city in southern Shanxi, each ancient stage holds unique charms.

The Jiangzhou Music Tower in Xinjiang county has two floors that can be used for shadow puppetry and opera. It leverages the unique terrain of a slope in front of the stage to ensure an unobstructed view for the audience and allow sound to naturally travel upward.

The Liansan Stage (meaning "linked triple stage") at Donglyu village in Ruicheng county, Yuncheng, was recently featured in a widely viewed television series. Following the show's premiere on China Central Television, the unique structure has become a popular tourist destination. Constructed in 1328, it distinguishes itself from typical ancient opera stages with its remarkable design — three distinct performance spaces unified under a single, elegant roof.

"Ancient stages are not just places for performing opera; they are the roots of opera, the soul of local culture, and a repository of memories and spiritual sustenance for generations," said Cheng Yakun, a veteran performer at the Xiaomeihua Pu Opera Art Center in Linfen. "Stepping onto a century-old stage is no longer just a simple performance for me; it's a special cultural experience."

Liang Jing said every time she steps onto an ancient stage, she feels a sense of awe and respect. "As long as these old stages remain, our traditional opera will have roots and a soul, and the flame will never be extinguished," said Liang. "I hope more young people will come to love opera, so that the old stages will always have performances."