Hyderabad News Desk

Kunshan, China – September 25, 2026 – On the evening of Sept. 23, the 2026 Chinese Opera Gala (Kunshan), sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, organized by the Department of Arts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, and undertaken by the Kunshan Municipal People’s Government and the Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, opened in the ancient town of Zhouzhuang in Kunshan.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Kunqu Opera’s inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Blue Paper of Chinese Kunqu Opera, jointly planned and produced by the Chinese National Academy of Arts, the Publicity Department of the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee, and the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, was officially released as a video, systematically reviewing the achievements of Kunqu’s development since the beginning of the 21st century. The Blue Paper and the Regulations on the Protection, Inheritance and Development of Kunqu Opera in Jiangsu Province—Jiangsu’s first provincial-level regulation on traditional opera, scheduled to be issued this year—will jointly provide academic and institutional safeguards for the opera.

The opening performance featured opera excerpts under the theme “Operatic Mastery · Skills Displayed in Diverse Operas.” Four young students from the Jiangsu Provincial Drama School, representing the four traditional role types of sheng, dan, jing and chou, served as presenters and showcased signature skills and stunts from multiple opera genres, including Jinju Opera, Kunqu, Qinqiang and Peking Opera. Catching the Leopard, a Jinju Opera production by the Shanxi Jinju Opera Theatre, featured nimble martial arts movements, with mallet and cudgel combat techniques presented in succession. The Kunqu excerpt A Foolish Dream from Lanke Mountain, performed by the Kunqu Theatre of the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, combined singing and acting to delicately portray the character’s inner world. The Qinqiang excerpt Ghost’s Lament · Killing, performed by the Shaanxi Provincial Research Institute of Traditional Opera, featured impassioned vocal music, along with stunning fire-spitting and slow “reclining fish” techniques. The Peking Opera production Havoc in Heaven, performed by the Shanghai Peking Opera Theatre, presented a dazzling array of martial arts, with monkey-opera fight scenes and acrobatic feats drawing rounds of applause from the audience. As opera genres from China’s north and south took the stage in turn, the signature skills of various role types came together, allowing the audience to truly appreciate the timeless artistic power of traditional opera’s “singing, recitation, acting and fighting.” The performance was livestreamed simultaneously on Xinhua Daily, the “Charm of Jiangsu” all-media platform and other online channels, attracting nearly 640,000 views across online and offline platforms.

On the opening day, an immersive opera garden party was launched at Yongqing Garden. Three market areas—”Dream in the Garden · Elegant Gathering,” “Opera Crossover · Trendy Market” and “Future Stage · Fantasy Market”—were bustling with activity. Thirty entities, including the Chinese Opera Museum and the Digital Dream Factory, showcased products in diverse categories, such as intangible cultural heritage objects, opera-themed cultural and creative products, and silk merchandise, creating an immersive Chinese-style market experience. The “Opera in Bloom—Exhibition of Fine Folk Art on Opera Themes from the National Art Museum of China” opened at the Chinese Opera Museum in Kunshan, featuring nearly 200 exhibits that presented the traditional folk art theme of “opera scenes” and its rich regional cultural expressions, offering an artistic feast amid the golden autumn of Jiangnan.

At the opening ceremony, commemorative certificates were awarded to 16 organizations selected as outstanding cases in national all-media opera communication. This further encourages opera organizations and institutions to actively innovate their outreach methods and expand the reach and influence of opera art. The “Watch a Hundred Operas, Tour Jiangsu” opera tourism initiative was launched simultaneously, with OTA platforms such as Ctrip opening domestic and international promotion zones and enabling visitors to explore opera tours across the province’s 13 cities with a single click. In the evening, eight influencers from Thailand, Malaysia, Russia and other countries gathered in Kunshan to experience the unique charm of the birthplace of Kunqu, the “Teacher of a Hundred Operas.” They will subsequently travel to various parts of the province to embark on an immersive “Hundred Operas Experience Officer” exploration tour.

The gala activities will run from September to November, covering key periods such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the National Day holiday and the autumn holiday. In the coming weeks, acclaimed productions and classic excerpts featuring signature skills and stunts will be staged in succession, including the Huangmei Opera The Female Son-in-Law, the Wuxi Opera The Pearl Tower, the Yueju Opera He Wenxiu, the Qinqiang productions Zhou Ren and Renewing the Red Plum Bond, and the Shaoju Opera Monkey King Thrice Defeats the White Bone Demon. Ten projects, including the “Mei Lanfang” digital cultural and creative IP and “Meeting Liang Chenyu through Jade,” will hold creative roadshows led by cultural and tourism enterprises, promoting the transformation of opera appreciation from “check-in-style shallow experiences” to deep, immersive cultural journeys and allowing citizens and tourists to better appreciate the unique charm of traditional operas intertwined with water-town scenery.

About Kunshan

Kunshan is a dynamic and prosperous city in the Yangtze River Delta, located between Shanghai and Suzhou. Known for its strong manufacturing base, advanced industries, and vibrant private economy, Kunshan is one of China’s most economically developed county-level cities. It has attracted numerous international companies and built a globally connected industrial ecosystem spanning electronics, precision manufacturing, automotive, and emerging technologies. Kunshan is also rich in cultural heritage, featuring Zhouzhuang, one of China’s most renowned ancient water towns. Combining economic vitality, innovation, cultural heritage, and livability, Kunshan serves as an important hub for regional development and international cooperation.

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