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Dangjia Nvren (The Hostess), is performed at the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre in 2019, attracting over 5,000 audience memberss. [Photo/jiading.gov.cn] |
Nanxiang town in Jiading district, Shanghai, was recently honored as the Hometown of Chinese Quyi Culture together with Anting to become the only two towns in Shanghai to be crowned with these honorary titles.
Quyi is a traditional Chinese art form spanning a variety of categories, such as ballad singing, storytelling, comedy sketches and Chinese crosstalk.
In recent years, Nanxiang town has beefed up efforts to build cultural brands and attract renowned artists with the aim of bringing folk art to the general public and benefiting more artists.
A group of renowned artists and intangible cultural heritage inheritors, such as Gu Zhujun, Chen Jian, Zhu Lin, Tao Yingyun, Shen Lingli, Shen Shuanghua, Chen Siqing and Zhang Xiaodong, have set up workshops in Nanxiang and helped to cultivate more folk art followers by opening lectures, going on tours, hosting specific training and organizing competitions.
For example, in 2019, Gu Zhujun and her team designed and performed 14 shows for Nanxiang, such as Dangjia Nvren (or The Hostess), which was performed at the local Poly Grand Theatre to an audience of over 5,000.
By integrating culture with education, quyi has also been spread to local campuses, and an art team consisting of primary school students has staged widely praised shows, such as Life Seeds and Penny Pincher.
Experts say Nanxiang has set a high standard in promoting quyi, and its efforts were well targeted, guaranteed, practical and nicely observed. Quyi has nurtured the spiritual life of local residents and gained social benefits.