The Beijing Peking Opera Company has launched a performance competition to showcase its young actors and instrumentalists.

The first performance featured actors Mu Yu and Wang Hao performing the classic play The Orphan of Zhao's Family on March 20 at the Grand Chang'an Theater. Qin Qin played the jinghu, the two-stringed fiddle that accompanies Peking Opera.

From March 20 to April 16, and between Oct 16 and Nov 18, more than 80 young actors and instrumentalists will compete for 20 awards. Renowned Peking Opera artists, including Mei Baojiu, son of the master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), Tan Yuanshou and Pei Yanling, comprise the jury. Audiences can also vote for their favorite actors.