The 6th national xiaoxi (story-telling with songs and dances) and xiaopin (Chinese skit) show kicked off in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province, on Oct 30, as part of the 2015 Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival. It will conclude on Nov 5.

The six-day event was sponsored by the China Theatre Association and the Zhangjiagang city government. It presented 35 xiaoxi and 15 xiaopin programs this year, featuring more than 30 drama genres such as the Peking opera, Yu opera from Henan province, Huangmei opera from Anhui province, Lv opera from Shandong province, and Huai opera (a local opera popular in Jiangsu, Anhui and Shanghai), with the participation of cultural units from over 20 provinces and cities. The event is regarded as a good momentum of China's drama sector.

Since its inception in 2007, the event attracted drama performers from all over the country and invited top experts to comment on the performances, with the purpose of improving the quality of the country's opera performances.

By holding such an event, Zhangjiagang also enhanced its national influences in xiaoxi and xiaopin performances in recent years. Since 2006, the city had dozens of works that received national or provincial awards including winning 15 best awards in the xiaoxi and xiaopin contests.