Peking Opera star Zhang Huoding performs in the film The Kylin Purse. [Photo by Liu Haifa/For China Daily]

Peking Opera master performer Cheng Yanqiu and playwright Weng Ouhong once collaborated in the production of Suo Lin Nang, a bittersweet tale with a happy ending.

The production premiered in 1940 and remains a showpiece of the Cheng style of Peking Opera to this day. Its morals still resonate with audiences today — lending a helping hand to those in need, kindness begets kindness, and girls help girls.

In the story, Xue Xiangling, the daughter of a wealthy family, receives a purse filled with jewels from her mother before her wedding. On the way to the ceremony, a sudden downpour forces her to seek shelter in a pavilion where she meets another bride, Zhao Shouzhen, who is crying over her poverty, so Xue gifts Zhao the purse.

Years later, a flood separates Xue from her family, and she has to work as a maid. She accidentally finds the purse in the house and realizes that the lady of the household is Zhao. Recognizing Xue as her benefactor, Zhao helps her reunite with her family.

For more than three years, Shanghai Film Group, the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, Shanghai Media Group and the Capital Jinghu Arts Research Association worked together to bring the production to the silver screen, along with Zhang Huoding, a renowned Peking Opera artist and representative performer of the Cheng opera style.

The film Suo Lin Nang, or The Kylin Purse, made its Beijing premiere at the China National Film Museum on Dec 27.

"This year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Cheng Yanqiu. The Cheng-style influence is profound and the master's thoughts and spirit continue to enlighten future generations," Zhang, also a professor at the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, said at the premiere.

According to her, the film captures the classic stage production through visual storytelling, serving as a tribute to and remembrance of Peking Opera predecessors. "I sincerely hope that the Cheng style continues to thrive and the master's art will endure," she adds.

At the premiere, director Teng Junjie, vice-president of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said that during the filmmaking process, he was moved by the professionalism and pursuit of excellence demonstrated by the Peking Opera artists.

Teng recalls filming during the coldest winter months along the coast of Zhejiang province, but the artists, exemplified by Zhang, gritted their teeth and overcame the difficulties while working more than 10 hours a day.

"Zhang insisted on canceling the trailer we booked for her to save our limited budget to improve the film's quality," Teng says.

Another example of this camaraderie is that while some supporting actors had limited scenes, they insisted on staying on the set, offering to help in any way they could.

"With 8K resolution, this film is presented to today's audience with the clearest images, the most saturated colors, and the most precise combination of camera movement and structure," Teng says.

This film is made for today and the future, he adds.

"With this film, we pay tribute to Cheng Yanqiu, our national treasure Peking Opera, and the excellent contemporary performers of the Cheng style who have been working hard to pass down the art form," Teng says.

In 2014, the film concept was included in the Peking Opera Film Project, initiated in 2011 to preserve outstanding stage productions through cinematic techniques. It later received support from the China National Arts Fund, which was approved by the State Council in late 2013.

The completion of The Kylin Purse highlights that all 21 films listed in the project have been produced, with Shanghai Film Group having filmed and produced six.

Last June, the film made its Shanghai premiere at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.

In November, it was screened at the 9th edition of the festival of traditional Chinese operas in Paris and won one of its top prizes.

The China National Film Museum has entered all 21 films from the project into its archives and established a permanent exhibition themed on the project.

"The Kylin Purse is a highly acclaimed classic in the Peking Opera scene," says Huang Xiaowei, the museum's curator.

"Its script upholds long-standing values such as justice and gratitude. With the distinctive Cheng singing style, especially under the superb performance of Zhang Huoding, the production has remarkable artistic depth and appeal,"Huang adds.

She stresses the vital role Peking Opera played in China's cinematic history, as the first-ever Chinese film Dingjun Mountain, released in 1905, was a recording of veteran Peking Opera artist Tan Xinpei performing.

"The exhibition themed on the Peking Opera Film Project has expanded and enriched our museum's film collection. It has taken on an integral role in showcasing the achievements of Chinese cinema,"Huang adds.