HUE, Vietnam — A traditional Chinese opera performance took center stage in June at the Royal Theater inside the Imperial City of Hue, the former imperial capital in central Vietnam. The event offered local audiences a rare and vivid glimpse into China's classical performing arts.

Presented by a troupe from China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the event was part of a broader cultural exchange initiative between Vietnam and China.

The performance featured live traditional music, elaborate costumes, stylized gestures and scenes drawn from various forms of traditional Chinese opera.

The show attracted a diverse audience of Vietnamese and Chinese officials, artists, students and residents, who gathered at one of Hue's historic cultural venues.

Nguyen Van Phuc, director of the Hue Department of Foreign Affairs, says the performance was impressive and showcased the cultural richness of Guangxi and China as a whole.

The atmosphere in the theater was marked by attentiveness and appreciation, as performers delivered scenes from classical stories using distinct vocal techniques and symbolic movements.

Among the audience was Le Ngoc, vice-director of the Institute of National Cultural Heritage in Vietnam, who also helped coordinate the program.

She emphasized the importance of such events as a platform for collaboration between artists, adding: "This is an important bridge for cultural cooperation between the two sides, helping to foster close ties between artists from both countries."

For performers like Huang Juncheng, a Chinese traditional opera actor, the experience in Hue was both a performance and form of cultural exchange.

Huang appeared in the role of Guan Yu, a famous general from China's Three Kingdoms period (220-280), in the traditional opera The Huarong Pass, which depicts a well-known episode from the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

He says the character of Guan Yu is also highly respected in Vietnam, reflecting the shared cultural values between the two countries.

He notes that Guan is seen as a symbol of loyalty, bravery and righteousness, adding that these values carry meanings across generations and borders.

"Whether it is the Chinese people or the Vietnamese people worshipping Guan, they are expressing their sense of responsibility to themselves, their families and their country," he says.

For many young Vietnamese audience members, this was their first encounter with traditional Chinese opera.

"These acts are beautiful and meaningful," says Phan The Dai Uy, a university student in Hue. "They broadened my horizons and reflected international cultural exchange."

Xinhua