BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Top Chinese leaders watched a New Year gala featuring traditional opera performance on Wednesday evening in Beijing.

Leaders of the Communist Party of China and the state, including Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli, joined an audience of nearly a thousand in the National Center for the Performing Arts.

The show featured various forms of traditional opera, including Peking Opera, Kunqu Opera, Shanghai Opera and Tibetan Opera.

The program included classic opera excerpts featuring ancient heroes, folk stories, and modern stories reflecting the life of ordinary Chinese people.