Xu Wei/Shanghai Daily news

A wronged ghost who seeks revenge, a wife whose fidelity is tested and a brash scholar who defies a warlord are the main figures in Peking Operas to be staged by a Taiwan troupe.

Peking Opera artists from Taipei Li-yuan Chinese Opera Theater will stage performances over three days during the ongoing Ninth Shanghai International Arts Festival.

The plays are new adaptions of Peking Opera classics such as "Accusation from a Wronged Ghost," "Zhuang Zhou's Grand Experiment," and "Mi Heng at the Drum." They will be performed next Monday through Wednesday at the Yifu Theater.

"In recent years, ticket sales for these shows are doing very well and the shows are praised by opera fans in Taiwan," says Vivien Koo, vice chief executive of the Koo Foundation and an organizer of the performances.

Li Baochun, acclaimed Peking Opera performer and the son of Peking Opera master Li Shaochun, will team up with artists of the Shanghai Peking Opera House - Sun Zhengyang and Zhao Qun.

Li attended the Peking Opera School in Beijing, and later performed with the China National Peking Opera Company. In the 1980s he went abroad, first to the United States and finally back to Taiwan in 1989. There he established the Taipei Li-yuan Chinese Opera Theater in conjunction with the Koo Foundation.

Li specializes in the roles of the laosheng (bearded old man) and the wusheng (warrior), two of Peking Opera's most physically demanding roles. His high-flying martial arts and operatic skills have won him high praise.

In "Accusation from a Wronged Ghost," the ghost of Liu Shichang, a cloth merchant from Suzhou who was murdered by an evil couple, seeks justice.

"We will keep the classic plot but create a more fabulous visual effect through long-sleeve dancing," Li says.

In "Zhuang Zhou's Grand Experiment," Zhuang Zhou tests the fidelity of his wife who swears that she will never remarry if Zhuang dies. Unconvinced, Zhuang tests of his wife's faithfulness by faking his own death. Compared with the original versions, this production has more conflict, rewriting and a surprise ending.

"Mi Heng at the Drum," however, is a well-known story from the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Mi, a brilliant but arrogant scholar, beats a drum at a banquet and denounces Cao Cao, an ambitious Machiavellian warlord. Mi is later executed.

To create a more tense and exciting atmosphere, Li will also include excerpts from Kunqu Opera that he learned from 94-year-old artist Ni Chuanyue.

A spectacular display of music, gongs, mime, brilliant costumes, martial arts and acrobatics, Peking Opera originated in the late 18th century and is known as China's national opera.

"Accusation from a Wronged Ghost"

Date: October 22, 7:15pm

"Zhuang Zhou's Grand Experiment"

Date: October 23, 7:15pm

Excerpts show including "Mi Heng at the Drum," "Capturing Gao Deng" and "Capturing San Lang Alive"

Date: October 24, 7:15pm

Address: 701 Fuzhou Rd

Tickets: 40-280 yuan

Tel: 6322-5294, 6322-5075