Young man with brain paralysis delights audiences with his performances of traditional Chinese opera

"Although we are handicapped, our colorful inner world can make up for the setbacks," this is the message that Guo Jiayuan, a 25-year-old man with brain paralysis, has been relaying through his passionate performances of Kunqu Opera, a genre of traditional Chinese opera.

Guo Jiayuan performs Kunqu Opera, a genre of traditional Chinese opera. (Photo/chinanews.com)

Born in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Guo was raised by his grandmother. He became a fan of Kunqu Opera under the influence of his grandmother, a big fan of Chinese opera herself. In 2010 when hearing the Kunqu masterpiece "The Peony Pavilion" for the first time, Guo was deeply touched by the melody. Guo started practicing Kunqu Opera since then.

"Due to my poor physical coordination, I found it difficult for me to practice many basic movements in Kunqu Opera," said Guo, adding that learning a basic movement often required him to practice for at least half a month.

Furthermore, Guo would often cramp up and take a few tumbles during his practice sessions when performing Kunqu Opera, and even once fell down, resulting in an unhealed wound on his head. In spite of these difficulties, the young man never thought about giving up his passion.

"Kunqu Opera has made me a new person, having given me ‘wings’ despite life’s challenges," said Guo, who has now earned a living by performing Kunqu Opera and has successfully passed the corresponding qualification tests.

As for his future plans, Guo said th at he hopes to study other genres of traditional Chinese operas, including Peking Opera, and run his own opera studio, so that more audiences might feel the charm of traditional Chinese opera performances.