"English is quite important for most of us, " gushed Duan Xin, an 18-year-old biology student who goes by the English moniker Duncan.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia

Duan (who plays warriors and kings) and Cheng (who plays the important female roles) have an ideal relationship onstage, but offstage they often seem less like mythic lovers than like miserable, muddling-through partners in an arranged marriage.

NEWYORKER: Farewell My Concubine