"My personal understanding of the character of Jiang Jie is that we used to think that being a hero means that she does not possess any emotion or desire, and therefore tended to overlook her feminine characteristics," Shen says.

"I have done a lot of research, aiming to present the process of Jiang Jie growing more mature over time. Through a series of incidents and personal experiences, she became a firm Communist and a true hero. I also used some singing techniques unique to Sichuan Opera to present her emotions such as grief and despair."

Experts at the forum praised Shen's performance. Chen Yongquan, vice-president of the Henan provincial federation of literary and art circles, says that Shen's performance gave a new look to the classic story.

"In Shen's rendition, when Jiang Jie saw the remains of her husband and the song Ode to Red Plum Blossom sounded, her expressions transformed from agony to one of hope and faith, representing a perfect integration of romanticism and heroism," Chen says.

In addition to two performances at Tsinghua University, the production's Beijing tour included performances at several other universities including Renmin University of China and Communication University of China, and it will tour other cities including Shanghai and Chengdu in Sichuan province.