The awards ceremony of the 2018 Tian Han Drama Week, held in Changsha county on Oct 22. [Photo/changsha.cn]

The awards ceremony of the 2018 Tian Han Drama Week was held in Changsha county on Oct 22, announcing the top performers for each role in Chinese traditional opera.

Tian Han was a renowned drama educator and playwright, best known for his lyrics for the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers and the libretto BaisheZhuan (The White Snake).

The drama week began on Oct 17 and offered nightly performances for fans. It attracted young and middle-aged actors from 18 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. After selecting the best, 50 performers were then able to perform nearly 40 opera programs. Nineteen types of Chinese opera were represented including Beijing opera, Yu opera, Jinju, Puju, Qinqiang and Huangmei opera.

More than 3,500 citizens were able to get hold of free tickets online.

Changsha county has successfully held eight cultural events so far this year, including special shows from Jinjing Tea Art Troupe, a children's art performance and an exhibition on cultural and natural heritage.

At present, rural public welfare digital films have been shown to every village and community in the county, totalling more than 3,000 films this year alone. Drama performances were held at the cultural station of each town and street, village cultural square and in poor villages, with an average of five performances per town or street.

An actor performs at the awards ceremony of the 2018 Tian Han Drama Week. [Photo/changsha.cn]

An actress performs Beijing opera at the awards ceremony of the 2018 Tian Han Drama Week. [Photo/hncsx.wenming.cn]