The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade
Wearing silver armor and a golden cloak, accompanied by dynamic dance steps, Ren Xin transformed into various facial expressions, displaying a spirited and heroic demeanor amidst the interplay of light and shadow. At the opening ceremony of the 31st Summer Universiade, 31 actors with facial transformation formations made a stunning appearance, showcasing Chengdu's ancient intangible cultural heritage - Sichuan Opera Face Changing - to the world, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.
On July 28th, actors performed Sichuan opera face changing at the opening ceremony of the Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jiang Hongjing
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/8437ce3445a79fcab1003ff2fa0c2635.jpg)
On July 28th, actors performed Sichuan opera face changing at the opening ceremony of the Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Zeguo
A thousand years on stage, a sword for ten years off stage. It's hard to believe that Ren Xin, who took off his mask, like most of the students who participated in the performance, was the first to have a "zero foundation" exposure to Sichuan opera.
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/ec51168e647341fa4fa03b03489595f3.jpg)
On July 23rd, Ren Xin rehearsed before the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Due to the hot and humid weather, fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
Ren Xin, born in 2004, grew up in Tongjiang County, deep in the Daba Mountains. As a child who loves dancing, she was admitted to the dance performance major of Sichuan Film and Television Academy as she wished. In late March of this year, the school began selecting actors for the face changing square performance at the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Ren Xin stood out from over 700 students majoring in dance performance and began a nearly 4-month intensive training.
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On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin was tidying up his headgear in the prop room, preparing for his performance on stage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin and his companions went to the waiting area to prepare to perform on stage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/2e77798838d7adc1366a840a317a5dbd.jpg)
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin checked whether his companions were wearing appropriate performance costumes. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
However, due to the fact that most students have not received professional physical training and artistic education in traditional Chinese opera, let alone the learning of Sichuan opera's facial transformation skills, "it's like a blank sheet of paper, and the training difficulty is very high." Kang Yong, the lead actor and design director of the facial transformation square, said, "But students can endure hardship and have strong acceptance ability. In addition, with tailored training programs for them, through basic skills training in traditional Chinese opera performance, unique facial transformation training, and facial transformation skill practice, they can now perform Sichuan opera's facial transformation more proficiently after a period of time."
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/db887da40c3c2c6e38da52d023d40aab.jpg)
On July 8th, Kang Yong participated in the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Universiade with the college students in the face changing formation. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, Ren Xin performed in the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/7abaf3965067151560548c002c54f228.jpg)
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin and other classmates went to the prop room to change clothes and props, preparing for the performance on stage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, Ren Xin took a group photo with his companions in the waiting area before the rehearsal performance at the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
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"The experience of performing at the opening ceremony of the Universiade will be the most beautiful and profound memory of my college life," said Ren Xin. As a person from Bazhong, Sichuan, experiencing the traditional culture of her hometown firsthand makes her feel even more proud.
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Kang Yong, the design and director of the Sichuan Opera Face Changing Square, arranged a headdress for Ren Xin in the prop room. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/d801f71d8c0aef3b661c220d9a839994.jpg)
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin changed into a new outfit, headgear and props, and walked out of the rest area. He casually pulled up the screen to prevent others from seeing the mechanism of the face changing props. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, Ren Xin performed in the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/659b9692e4cee0a29015ba789c5ba8c4.jpg)
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin distributed heatstroke prevention medicine to other participating students. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin changed his clothes and props in the prop room to prepare for his performance on stage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/6392f7cb4eb33299a909b65db4e86f36.jpg)
On July 23rd, Ren Xin performed in the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Universiade, Kang Yong explained the performance requirements and precautions to the college student actors who had changed their faces. Shen Jizhong
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/1019554e03ee4938d8762a8c938c980f.jpg)
On July 23rd, before the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade, Ren Xin and his companions changed their clothes and went to the rest area to prepare for the performance on stage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
On July 23rd, Ren Xin performed in the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Shen Bohan
![The Story Behind the Opening Ceremony of the Chengdu Universiade - A Face of Joy, Wrath, Sorrow, and Joy Prop | Chengdu | Universiade](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/826e16044257c76c561fef8b71eff069.jpg)