The performers keep entertaining the audiences on the stage but they don't talk much offstage. Sometimes these honest and kind performers would collect the tickets for Tong so he could play a small role to satisfy his love for the art. Occasionally, Tong gets tips from the audience.

"Tong's today is our tomorrow. We have to make more money while we are young," says Tong Wa, with his wife Guan Binbin at his side. Guan was pregnant for four months, but she still practices and performs every day.

Partners in errenzhuan are often couples. Liu Xiaowei and his wife Wang Xiaoying left their home in the Nong'an County of Jilin Province to perform in Shenyang 10 years ago. Whenever they missed their daughter at home, they usually hurried home after a performance without removing their makeup. In order not to miss the performance on the next night, they could only stay home for two or three hours.

Since performing errenzhuan is so hard, why do they put up with it?

Liu Xiaowei, the finale performer at the Qunzhong Cinema who had been performing errenzhuan for almost 20 years, says: "Money is only one of the reasons. Whenever I stand in the spotlight, I forget all my worries. When I get applause from the audience, I feel most satisfied and happy in my life."

Editor: Cindy