However, as a local minor drama, Yugu Opera has long been confined to small stages and has never had the opportunity to perform on larger platforms. As a result, its future as a cultural heritage has been a cause for concern in terms of preservation and transmission.

　　Once upon a time, the predecessor of the Zhanhua Yugu Opera Troupe—the Zhanhua Lu Opera Troupe—similarly faced dire survival challenges. Before the reform, the troupe was plagued by financial shortages, a dwindling audience, and a lack of creative vitality, almost falling into a state of stagnation.

　　“I took over as the director of the Zhanhua Lu Opera Troupe in 2005. Back then, things were really bleak. The number of performances was dwindling, and the entire troupe's annual income was only twenty to thirty thousand yuan,“ Wang Chunzhen, the head of the Yugu Opera Troupe, recalled the tough times before the reform, still with a hint of gravity in his voice.

　　He said that at that time, some actors had to resort to pedaling rickshaws, selling bean sprouts, selling clothes, or frying dough sticks to make a living. The question of whether a way out could be found for the troupe haunted Wang Chunzhen every day.

　　However, it was precisely this predicament that ignited his team's determination to bring about change.

　　At that time, a veteran master from the troupe told Wang Chunzhen that there was a treasure in Zhanhua called Yugu Opera, which was deeply loved by the local people. However, just like the Lu Opera troupe, Yugu Opera had also come to a crossroads of survival and extinction because its inheritors were all advanced in age.

　　It was under these extremely difficult circumstances that Wang Chunzhen conducted multiple investigations and studies on Yugu Operaand made up his mind: to restructure the troupe to be financially self-sufficient, and to switch from performing Lu Opera to Yugu Opera!