Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing to perform in San Francisco (2)

San Francisco, April 3 (People’s Daily Online)--Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing will bring a Chinese stage drama “Fenghua Juedai” (The Beauty) to the audience in San Francisco on April 5, 2014. The drama tells the story of famous courtesan Sai Jinhua, a legendary but controversial figure in the late Qing Dynasty.

After the successful debut in Beijing on April 19, 2012, the drama has been staged more than 100 times in China. Now it embarked on a tour in the United States. The drama has gained big applause in Los Angeles and is highly expected in San Francisco where the second performance will be staged.

Sai Jinhua was born in 1870 or 1864 and died in 1936. She toured Europe with her ambassador husband and mastered foreign languages. After her husband died, Sai opened a high-end brothel. When western troops occupied Beijing in 1900, the royal officials fled, leaving civilians to fend for themselves. She used her diplomatic skills to beguile General Alfred Graf von Waldersee and stopped him from slaughtering civilians. The life of Sai Jinhua had been adapted into films, plays, and television series.