Lou Sheng plays many leading roles in Wuju Opera productions. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Apart from joining theory classes, Lou spends his time practicing. His legs have become sore and swollen in just days and they ache when he walks.

Even as some of his peers gave up under pressure, Lou pressed on.

Stages were not that fancy when he first stepped onto them. In 2003, he joined Zhejiang Wuju Opera Troupe, where he gradually became a renowned performer.

"Even when you become a mature performer, you have to think about how to improve your performance because the audience has higher expectations," he says.

In the 1990s, entertainment options were sparse, but that has all changed, meaning that Wuju Opera is under pressure to do more to attract audiences-for example, making storylines more interesting. Some operas used to last many hours, but to appeal to shorter attention spans, a more digestible two and half hours is now considered acceptable.

Lou Sheng plays many leading roles in Wuju Opera productions. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Lou says as he ascended the ranks of opera performers and become more well-known, he became a lot more self-critical and picky about his work.

"Once you obtain higher titles and honors, you need to be more responsible for your audience," he says.

"Opera is art that is created on location, so you need to be creative to attract more people."

One critic called Lou "the most creative, attractive and explosive actor in the young men's roles". In May, he won the 30th annual Plum Performance Award, the highest award for theater and drama artists in China.

"I'm just lucky to be honored with the title," Lou said after being announced the winner. "I stand on the shoulders of those outstanding Wuju artists before me, and the honor belongs to our whole troupe.

"Each character I play is profound, and I treasure every chance to play onstage as an actor.

"With the support from government and efforts of artists like us, I believe traditional culture like Wuju Opera will become popular among the young."

Lou Sheng plays many leading roles in Wuju Opera productions. [Photo provided to China Daily]