Colorful dragon dances, opera and folk music performances thrilled the audience at Kunshan's Poly Grand Theater as the city staged a special night of intangible cultural heritage shows on Oct 20.

Twelve excellent shows each demonstrating a different strand of Kunshan's traditional culture were on the bill, ranging from the renowned Kunqu Opera and Jinxi xuanjuan (a traditional art form combining talking and singing), to a Lujia town dragon dance, Qiandeng town tea dance, and renditions of folk songs popular in northern Kunshan.

Performers pose for a group photo at a singing and dancing performance featuring intangible cultural heritages in Kunshan on Oct 20. [Photo/ks.gov.cn]

The shows were selected in July, with the aim of displaying different aspects of Kunshan's intangible cultural heritage. Performances such as the Qiandeng tea dance incorporated traditional wedding customs in the picturesque water town of Qiandeng, while the "granny tea" show demonstrated Zhouzhuang residents' tea-drinking customs.

"The singing and dancing shows are fascinating and will help to give residents a better understanding of our intangible cultural heritage," said an official from the Kunshan Cultural Center.

Thanks to the local government's support, Kunshan has received a lot of recognition for its intangible cultural heritage in recent years. Kunqun Opera and Jinxi xuanjuan were added to China's national list of intangible cultural heritage, while the Qiandeng tea dance, Lujia dragon dance and six other traditional customs were added to Jiangsu's provincial list.

A parallel photography exhibition about the development and preservation of intangible cultural heritage was opened the same day.

Performers deliver a Lujia dragon dance show. [Photo/ks.gov.cn]