Around 6 pm, an hour before the show began, 85-year-old Peking Opera master Yang Shaochun stepped through the side entrance. A few students didn't notice him at first, but once someone spotted him, the energy in the room shifted.

The young performers quickly paused whatever they were doing. Some stood up immediately, bowing slightly in respect. Several hurried over to greet him.

Yang smiled and gave a nod. He didn't speak much at first. Instead, he slowly walked around the room, observing quietly. He helped the young performers adjust their costumes and offered small but precise corrections — how to position the headdress, how to comb the long beard.