The stage photo of Yi ethnic opera Yi Hong. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 1935, the Chinese Red Army pushed north to resist the Japanese invaders. During the historic Long March (1934-1936), the Red Army passed through the Yi ethnic group area of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture. The head of the local Yi ethnic tribe, Xiaoyedan, was allied with the Red Army General Liu Bocheng, helping the Red Army troops pass through the area and win the victory of capturing the Luding Bridge and forcing the Dadu River.

“I spent a very long time living in that area and I heard so much about the stories between the Red Army and the Yi people, which I want to share with the contemporary audiences,” says Li. Since the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March is being marked this year, the opera will tour around the country till the end of the year.

Yi Hong is one of the 90 performances of the ongoing 5th National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival, which is held from Aug 16 to Sep 4 in Beijing. Over 7,000 actors from 43 performing art troupes of 31 provinces in China join in the event.

The first National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival was held in 1980 in Beijing, aiming at celebrating the diverse ethnic culture of China.