World heritage on display

A performer paints his face for a role before a show.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"We want the tour to become a brand, like our annual overseas tour of traditional Chinese orchestras during Spring Festival, which has been running for 18 years," says Wu.

During each tour, before the performers appear on stage, a moderator explains the basics of Peking Opera in the local language, he says.

The audience then learn how to tell from the music what is happening on stage, the meaning of certain gestures and how a 1,000 mile trip can be done with a few simple movements.

As for the response to the festival, Li says: "We have had a lot of success when we perform in other countries."

Recalling a show in Rio during the troupe's tour of Brazil in 2013, he says: "I asked the audience through a translator if they could understand the piece we had just performed."

A middle-aged man then stood up and told him how he understood the piece, One Good Turn Deserves Another.

"I was glad that though there were just symbolic movements and a language barrier, we had got the message across to the audience," Li adds.