Peking Opera had its heyday with star performers popularizing the art form across the country as well as abroad. One of the best-known Peking Opera master is Mei Lanfang, a nandan performer, who was the first actor to present Peking Opera outside China. He toured the US in 1930, visiting New York, Chicago and San Francisco. The tour lasted five weeks, rather than its originally scheduled two, due to the great acclaim he received.

Zhang Huoding, one of the most famous contemporary Peking Opera performers, caused a sensation in 2015 by performing the famous Peking Opera pieces, The Legend of the White Snake and The Jewelry Pouch, in New York.

There were also days when Peking Opera, like many traditional art forms, faced decline.

Liu, who found it hard to make ends meet, even considered quitting. "I once attended a course to learn about computer programming, and considered getting a new job," recalls Liu.

In 2006, he got a role in award-winning composer Tan Dun's opera, The First Emperor, which, commissioned and staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and performed by Placido Domingo.