September 1, 2024, Sichuan Opera Protection and Inheritance Regulation officially came into effect in both Chongqing Municipality and Sichuan Province, marking the first bi-provincial effort to preserve and develop a traditional opera genre in China: the Sichuan Opera.

October 10, the stage of the Chongqing Sichuan Opera Theater comes alive with a performance of a famous Sichuan opera piece, “Beimang Mountain” -- a royal palace romance set in the Warring States period of the Chinese history. Following the performance, two more actors take the stage to perform the iconic face-changing act of Sichuan opera. The Opera House was filled with awe and enthusiastic applause throughout the show.

Among the audience were 30 foreigners, who are the consulate officials, foreign journalists, foreign businesses representatives, foreign teachers and international students. They are the participants of “Foreigners Visit the People’s Congress” event organized by the Standing Committee of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Congress. Before enjoying the show, they were introduced to the legislative rationale for the rollout of the Regulation.

Czegel Balint, Consul General of Hungary in Chongqing , in an interview, said that the event allows foreign nationals based in Chongqing to better understand how the People’s Congress work and, in turn, a better understanding of China as a whole.

A Rwandan with a Chinese name of Chen Wei is a student of Chongqing University. He has lived in China for eight years. He told the reporter that, in his eyes, Sichuan Opera is not only a performing art but also a symbol of the traditional culture of Chongqing.

An artistic illustration of the event