The Gaojia Opera Troupe from Quanzhou, Fujian province staged an adaption of Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector at the Dhaka International One-act Play Festival, which was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from Dec 8–14.

The troupe was invited to the Dhaka festival after its staging of the modern Gaojia opera, Lian Sheng San Ji received rave reviews in the same city in 2015.

Gaojia Opera's famous comic actor Chu Yujiang played all the roles in the innovative take on Gogol's classic satire, including the ersatz inspector and the female lead. Short films are integrated into the one-hour production to allow time for Chu to change costumes and to add an extra layer to the drama.

Chu Yujiang plays a clown role in the Gaojia Opera adaptation of The Government Inspector. [Photo/mnw.cn]

Gaojia Opera, a traditional form of Chinese Opera from southeastern Fujian province that first emerged during the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is famous for its female roles, and its clown, or chou, roles above all. Chou actors are required to master a renowned acting style, in which their jerky movements imitate those of puppet figures.