Fighting spirit pays off

"I have more than 200 students, professional Yuju Opera performers and amateurs. He (Darrin) is one of the few overseas students who have been learning Yuju Opera with me, and he has been doing so for about five years," says Li, who is credited with expanding the fan base of the ancient art form through online performances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Since Yuju Opera is performed in the Henan dialect, he had to learn the dialect first. He learned and practiced very hard," says Li.

In 2019, Darrin performed Yuju Opera on the popular TV show, Li Yuan Chun, produced and broadcast by Henan TV, which premiered in 1994 and highlights traditional Chinese operas.

Under his Chinese name, Liu Bianjing, Darrin won second place in one of the TV show's sections, which saw a number of amateur Yuju Opera performers compete. Darrin notes that Kaifeng was formerly known as Bianjing in ancient China. He calls himself Bianjing to express his love for the city.

It's been about five years since Darrin left his home country, and he has been showing his family, through video calls, his life in China and two of his favorite things he has learned: tai chi and Yuju Opera.

"When I perform Yuju Opera for my family through video calls, they don't know what I am singing at all, but they find it very interesting. They are happy that I'm doing what I love in China," says Darrin, who plans to go back home this year.

"I have made lots of friends here and I am considering living and working in China after graduation," he adds.