The play follows Qiao Sheng, a kind and honest scholar who unexpectedly saves a fox maiden. In gratitude, she gives him a magical fox tail capable of granting any wish. Armed with this power, Qiao Sheng gradually succumbs to his desires, exposing the darker side of human nature.

　　The play is adapted from Liaozhai, or Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, a classic collection of Chinese ghost stories and supernatural folk tales written over a period of 40 years from the late 1600s to the early 1700s.

　　Though performed in Chinese, English, Arabic and Chinese surtitles were displayed on a monitor to the left of the stage, allowing Egyptian and international spectators to follow the story without diverting their attention from the action.

　　Hui Haifeng, who plays Qiao Sheng, said the response of the Egyptian audience had left a deep impression on him.

　　"Although we speak different languages, I could tell from their eyes, expressions and reactions that they were following the story attentively and were deeply immersed in it," Hui said.

　　"Art knows no borders, and neither does emotional communication," he said. "Language may present a barrier, but emotions are shared, and body language and stage expression can also communicate across cultures."

　　The Chinese opera "Liaozhai: Purple Tail" is staged at the 33rd Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre (CIFET) in Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

　　Founded in 1951, Wuxi Xiju Theatre has spent over seven decades preserving and developing xiju, a form of traditional Chinese opera, while taking its productions to audiences abroad.