From the hearty folk songs - composed to rally rugged northern Chinese warriors to resist foreign invaders - to the gentle, lilting strings of guzheng music inspired by China's rolling plains and rivers, audiences will be treated to a vast repertoire of music created by Chinese musicians through the ages at the Esplanade's annual traditional Chinese arts festival, Moonfest.

The festival kicks off with the Shanghai Yue Opera House staging of Couple Wings, a production about the famous Tang dynasty poet Li Shangyin who must choose between his love for a beautiful woman, Wang Yunyan, and loyalty to his best friend, Linghu Tao.

In an e-mail interview with The Straits Times, veteran opera singer Qian Huili, 53, who plays Li in the opera, says the script's depth gives the production a lot of tension as the characters face many dilemmas.

"On the surface, Li is torn between friendship and love. But in reality, everything he does is a test of his ethical bottom line."

She adds: "I'm constantly discovering more about this story."

Qian and fellow actress Wang Zhiping, who plays Wang, are long-time acting partners and winners of the Plum Blossom Award, the highest theatre accolade in China.

The duo will return to the stage on the festival's last night to perform six excerpts from classics such as Butterfly Lovers, the legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai; and Chasing The Fish Spirit, a romance between a fish spirit and a Confucian student.

Qian says: "I was just a young woman in my 20s when I performed in Singapore in 1987. I believe our artistry has matured compared with 30 years ago and I look forward to reviews from the audience."

Guzheng player Ji Wei, 36, who is giving her first solo recital here, will present eight works ranging from the classic to contemporary, curated in line with the Mid-Autumn Festival theme.

One of them is a piece she collaborated on with Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang, titled At Night On The Lake Beneath The Maple Bridge, which was well-received when it was released on Lang's 2006 studio album, Dragon Songs.

Ji, who has recorded several albums and is an associate professor at China's Central Conservatory of Music, says: "One can learn to appreciate the beauty of Chinese traditional music and guzheng through education and being immersed in the music over a long period of time."

A younger generation of under-30 Chinese folk singers such as Du Peng Peng, Chang Yan Ni and Zhang Hong Li will evoke the spirit of their homeland in a medley of folk songs.

Du, 28, comes from northern Shaanxi, central of the sprawling Loess Plateau in north-west China, which was a revolutionary base for the Communist Party of China. Some of these songs were written as a call to peasants living there to take up arms against Japanese aggressors, he says.

"In northern Shaanxi, people's happiness, anger, sadness and joy are all expressed through folk songs. Whether you're standing atop a mountain, walking along its winding paths or travelling on the plains, you will be able to hear melodious voices in the wind," he adds.

The festival also promises to be a family-friendly one, featuring a children's theatre production and activities such as workshops for parents and children to learn about Chinese opera and make mooncakes.

Festival programmer Desmond Chew says: "Over the years, Moonfest has garnered loyal fans and we continuously engage new audiences, especially the younger generation and young families with their little ones, so that they have the opportunity to learn more about traditional Chinese arts."