ATLANTA, Feb. 27 -- Talking about his 50-year career as a Peking Opera performer, Tan Xiaozeng is full of passion. So is his son, Tan Zhengyan.

"The Peking Opera is never short of actors or audience," the famous Peking Opera actor and winner of international prizes said in an interview with Xinhua.

Commenting on the rumor that "Peking Opera is dying", Tan said, "I do not think it will die," adding that everything has its ups and downs, so does the Peking Opera, also known as "China's national treasure".

Tan Xiaozeng is the sixth generation of Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, who had created the renowned branch of the art "Tan Pai".

"It is the cultural heritage of our ancestors, which is of historical significance," he said on the sidelines of a touring performance in Atlanta, Georgia.

"Seven generations of our family have been engaged in this career, even during the low periods of its development," said the 66-year-old.

On the young generation's inheritance of the art, he pointed at Tan Zhengyan, who is also an influential Peking Opera actor and a member of the delegation.

"Young actors such as Zhengyan face so many choices and temptations and Peking Opera is not a lucrative business, but they stick to this stage with passion. This is respectable," the father noted.

"If you have time, you should pay a visit to our theater. Everyone is busy practicing and exercising," he said, "They can quit at any time, but they choose to stay."

Tan noted that apart from actors, the audience also play an important role in revitalizing the cultural heritage.