Born and raised in Hunan, Lei has been influenced early by folk songs, thanks to the rich ethnic cultures of her hometown, Yiyang, in the north of Hunan.

She says this opera means a lot to her personally since she also worked as the opera's artistic director.

"We've traveled to Hunan several times during the past eight years to prepare for the opera. The local people are connected to the nature closely since they live in the mountains and their houses are located near the river. We wanted to tell the poetic and romantic story by Shen through the opera as well as presenting the rural idyll that forms the backdrop to this story to the audience," says Lei.