Gorgeous Family of Cross

Grammy and Oscar-winning composer and conductor Tan Dun took a modern approach in producing the opera by bringing "The Peony Pavilion" away from the stage and into the natural setting of Kezhi Garden. Zhang Jun, one of China's top Kunqu Opera masters, acted in the opera, which is dubbed China's very own "Romeo and Juliet."

The idea is to encapsulate the pure, natural and raw love that develops between the characters of this ancient love story.

Just like the new interpretation of the opera, Kezhi Garden is a combination of Chinese and Western influences and integrates both traditional and modern garden styles.

The most famous of all Kunqu Opera works, "The Peony Pavilion" tells the story of the love between Du Liniang, the daughter of a high-ranking official and a poor young scholar named Liu Mengmei. Kept apart by circumstance the story mirrors that of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet."

Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest extant forms of Chinese opera and has influenced many Chinese art forms including Peking Opera. Kunqu was listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001.