Anchor: American figure skater Johnny Weir will soon excite his fans in Guangzhou this coming Friday by playing the role of a concubine to a king in the "Artistry on Ice" show.
Xu Fei has more
Reporter: Since the annual figure-skating show was first launched in 2010, Johnny Weir has been a part of the show in China for five years. But this year, Weir takes up a new challenge by taking on a very iconic role in Chinese opera.
He has revealed how he prepared for the role at a press conference held recently in Beijing.
"I immediately started thinking of ideas and what I would want to look like when I saw this performance. And for me, the idea is to take it on softly because obviously I'm hit playing a concubine, so I didn't want to be just over-the-top crazy like I usually am. I wanted to be very subdued and gentle and soft and make it very much a serious love story. So it's important to me to be authentic and to show real emotion with this. And of course the costume will be amazing."
American figure skater Johnny Weir, a three-time U.S. national champion from 2004 to 2006, is known for his elegant style of skating, topped with flamboyant outfits and costumes. Knowing he has a big number of fans in China, Johnny Weir said he enjoys being back in China as he's done it every year since the beginning.
"So I love performing here, and I love to bring something unique and special to my Chinese fans and Chinese audience because it's such a spectacular new place for figure skating. And I'm so proud of myself and all of us really, for being the ambassadors to this sport to China. And I know we're all honored to be here."
The appearance of Chinese actor-director, Deng Chao, is another spotlight of the show, which will debut in Guangzhou on August 1st, and the show's final stop will be Taipei on the 3rd of August.
Earlier, spectators in Beijing and Shanghai cheered with joy at the first two shows just over the weekend.
For Studio Plus, I'm Xu Fei.
