In the afternoon of Sept 6, the 2nd China Quju Opera Art Festival was launched in Ruzhou city, Henan province, the cradle land of the opera.

At the opening ceremony, Ji Guoping, vice-chairman of Chinese Drama Association (CDA), proclaimed Ruzhou the Home of Quju Opera. Shang Changrong, chairman of CDA, conferred the plaque of Home of Quju Opera to Ruzhou city. Officials of the central, provincial and municipal governments cut a ribbon to mark the opening ceremony.

Fantastic performances were put on stage after the opening ceremony. Shang Changrong acted out a splendid episode of Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy. Other genres of drama, including Yuju Opera, Peking Opera, Huangmei Opera and Yuediao Opera, were performed as blessings to the grand gathering of Quju Opera. The audiences were fascinated with the performances.

In recent years, Ruzhou city has vigorously developed Quju Opera, a culture industry with unique local characteristics. From May 18 to 22, 2006, the city successfully held the first Henan Quju Opera Art Festival. From May 18 to 22, 2009, the city held the first session of China Quju Opera Art Festival. These efforts expanded the popularity of Quju Opera.

To date, 150 businesses have attended the 2nd China Quju Opera Art Festival. They plan to sign up 40 projects, with an investment of 14.2 billion yuan, including 11.8 billion yuan from other provinces.

Edited by Fu Bo and Tania Lee

Opening ceremony of Quju Opera Festival in Ruzhou

Opening ceremony of Quju Opera Festival in Ruzhou