Canadian audience and Chinese performers pose for a photo after the Yueju Opera show in Toronto, Canada on Nov 26. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Performers from the city of Shaoxing, East China's Zhejiang province presented the classic Yueju Opera play Butterfly Lovers in Toronto, Canada on Nov 26, kicking off their new round of the world tour.

Butterfly Lovers is often called "China's Romeo and Juliet" due to the similarly touching and romantic story between two lovers. The version staged in Canada is a joint effort by many famous Yueju Opera stars like Chen Xueping, Li Min and Chen Fei, most of whom are winners of national awards.

Canadian visitors were impressed by the love story, melodic music and delicate costumes, saying they got more interested in Yueju Opera and Chinese culture.

The year of 2017 is the 150th anniversary of Canada's founding, which gave the performance of Yueju Opera more significance. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a letter of thanks to the Shaoxing troupe, saying the performance provided Canadian people with a good chance to savor the charm of Chinese culture. The Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne and the Chinese Consul General in Toronto He Wei extended their gratitude via letters as well.

The all-star version of Butterfly Lovers is a trump card of Shaoxing Yueju Opera Troupe and assumes the responsibility of promoting the traditional opera art to the world. With financial support from the China National Arts Fund, the troupe has started a world tour to countries in Europe, America and Oceania, and Canada was the first stop on the tour.

"We hope to tell Chinese stories in the form of Yueju Opera and show the whole world a diverse and charming China," said Qiu Jianping, general manager of Shaoxing Yueju Opera Troupe.