Left: Actors of the Zhuanghu Opera Troupe have to do the makeup themselves. Photos by Yang Linhong Right: With a history of more than 100 years, the Zhuanghu Opera Troupe is made up of 40 performers, all of them local farmers.

They put on opera costumes and become ancient emperors and beauties; they take the costumes off and they are back to being ordinary farmers.

They are the amateur performers of Zhuanghu Opera Troupe, an opera company organized by local farmers in Songlin Town of Linqing City in East China's Shandong Province.

The troupe mainly performs Chuiqiang, an ancient style of opera that has heavily influenced both Peking Opera and Qinqiang, which are prevalent in northern China.

Chuiqiang, which literally means "blowing tone" in Chinese, is named after the main instruments used in the opera - the flute and sheng, both traditional Chinese wind instruments.

The Zhuanghu Opera Troupe was established 100 years ago. The troupe is made up of 40 performers, all of them local farmers, who are able to perform more than 40 episodes of the opera.

Performers and villagers alike have cherished more than 60 hand-written scripts that farmers have passed down through the generations over 100 years.

Left: Zhao Lianzhong, one of the oldest actors, shows the scripts local farmers have passed down through the generations.

Opera costumes feature delicate embroidery.

The lines of the scripts all follow strict principles of ancient operas and flow in elegant old Chinese. Although most of the young performers are unable to understand the words, instructions from the older actors help the young ones sing their lines well.

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