Folk tradition fills Beijing stage

This week, Peking University has seen the staging of a performance of traditional folk art from East China. This presentation of age-old intangible heritage impressed both students and faculty members alike.

These centuries-old acts are all presented by the Local Quyi Tradition Preservation Institute of Changzhou, in East China's Jiangxi Province. Most of them have been absent from the public stage for five decades. They were recently revived as part of local efforts to preserve intangible cultural heritage.

According to the performers, such combinations of singing, acting, and comic cross-talking first came into being as a form of promotion by local peddlers of candies. It was in the late 19th Century that the performing art gained a distinctive identity and became a staple of local popular entertainment.

Now this Changzhou Quyi tradition is facing harsh challenges. Efforts are being made to better preserve it in the face of more modern entertainment like pop music and TV dramas.