The White-Haired Girl was originally a five-act opera. In the early 1960s, it was arranged into a ballet. It tells the story of Xi'er, the daughter of a poor farmer. To pay the debts of her family, she is sold to a landlord. After suffering immensely, she flees deep into the mountains, where she lives for many years without adequate food. Xi'er's hair turns white and she becomes known as the white-haired goddess, before finally being rescued by the Red Army.