On an ancient stage in Shanxi province, Liang Jing, a 39-year-old Pu Opera actress, posed beneath the intricately carved eaves of the traditional structure. As she opened her mouth to sing, her clear, resonant voice filled the space, reverberating through the beams and pillars.

Shanxi, a land rich in cultural relics and traditional opera genres, boasts over 3,000 ancient stages, accounting for more than 70 percent of China's total. The oldest surviving stage dates back to the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).

The stage Liang stood upon was the Ox King Temple stage in Weicun town, Linfen city. Constructed in 1283 during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), it is one of the nation's oldest extant ancient stages with a confirmed construction date.

"Ancient stages are vastly different from modern theaters," Liang said. "Modern theaters have expansive stages and sophisticated lighting, catering to a more refined and mass-market presentation of opera. Ancient stages, on the other hand, are rustic and full of life, deeply rooted in local customs and integrated into people's daily lives."

Having grown up surrounded by opera, Liang began her artistic journey at the age of 12. In 2025, her decades of dedication culminated in the prestigious Plum Blossom Award, the highest theatrical award in China. Yet, she found performing on ancient stages to be a more authentic and grounded experience.

"It's all about the actor's true skill and voice, without relying on elaborate sets," she said. "The audience, the stage, the history and the performer merge seamlessly. The unique atmosphere, the sense of ritual and the cultural depth are elements that modern theaters simply cannot replicate."

In Liang's eyes, every brick and tile of an ancient stage holds the weight of history, every beam and pillar contains the essence of traditional Pu Opera.

In April, a network media campaign titled "What is China? — Cultural Heritage on Rooftops", organized by the Shanxi Provincial Cyberspace Administration, invited artists such as Liang to explore the unique acoustic advantages of ancient stages. "There is virtually no modern amplification equipment," Liang said. "It's all about the actor's natural voice."

In order for performances to reach audiences dozens of meters away in ancient times, the actors really had to project themselves.

Professor Yang Yang, head of the Chinese Ancient Stage Acoustics Laboratory in Shanxi University, has spent 18 years studying ancient stage acoustics.

His findings reveal the stages are more than just architectural structures. Sophisticated designs, including urns placed beneath the stage, hidden urns within the walls, and specially designed openings in the backdrop, create a unique acoustic system for the space.