The new film The White Haired Girl is directed by Hou Keming (center) and stars Lei Jia (right).[Photo provided to China Daily]

The Chinese have been familiar with the lyrics of the revolutionary opera, The White Haired Girl, for the past seven decades or so.

Now, the tale of the miseries of farmers in the late 1940s is a new cinematic remake and, more impressively, it comes in 3-D.

The film The White Haired Girl will be released in major mainland cities early this year and will later be screened in rural areas, according to its producers. A debut date has yet to be announced.

As a milestone play in the history of Chinese theater, the classic opera caused a sensation when its earliest edition debuted at the revolutionary base of Yan'an in 1945. Inspired from local folklore, the story centers on the sorrows of Xi'er, a young woman from a humble background in Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

As the daughter of a poor peasant, Xi'er is forced to hide in the mountains to escape the persecution of a greedy, cruel landlord. During her time in hiding, the shortage of nutrition makes her black hair turn white. The founding of New China in 1949 gives her a second chance to live a normal life.

The film's storyline is similar to that of the original opera and aims to make audiences feel like they are "watching a real-time stage show", says the film's director, Hou Keming, who is also a professor at the Beijing Film Academy.

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Produced by the Ministry of Culture, the film's artistic director is China's first lady, Peng Liyuan, who had played the title role of Xi'er in a 1985 operatic remake. The wife of President Xi Jinping coached the lead performers by personal demonstration, despite her hectic daily schedule.

Other veteran artists are also behind the film, its producers told reporters at a recent news conference.

The 91-year-old author He Jingzhi, who co-wrote with Ding Yi the original script for The White Haired Girl in 1945, read the film's script, too. The 85-year-old actress Guo Lanying, who led the star cast in a 1948 operatic remake, traveled from the southern city of Guangzhou to Beijing to coach the actors and actresses for more than 20 days.

Lei Jia, the actress who stars as Xi'er in the film, says her performance needs improvement when compared with how veterans played the role earlier.

The cast, including actors Wang Qifei, 78, and Wang Jing, 63, both of whom have worked on previous cinematic adaptations of the opera, had five rehearsals before the film's shooting began.

More than 600 special-effects scenes were shot in 15 locations to enhance the 3-D appeal of the film.