戏 here defaults to traditional Chinese opera — Beijing opera (
京剧 jīngjù), Yue opera (
越剧 yuèjù), Cantonese opera (
粤剧 yuèjù), etc. — not film or stage drama in the Western sense. A devoted Beijing-opera fan is a
京剧戏迷 or
票友 (piàoyǒu, an amateur performer who pays to take the stage).
