The foundation ceremony of a Yue Opera themed town is held in Shengzhou, Zhejiang province on Dec 12. [Photo/Shengzhou Fabu WeChat]

Shijia'ao village in the city of Shengzhou, Zhejiang province welcomed the foundation ceremony for a Yue Opera themed town on Dec 12. 

The village, where the female Yue Opera originated, will be the center of the cultural town. With a planned area of 3.68 square kilometers, the town involving Shijia'ao village, Lihu village and Cangyan village will receive an investment of 4 billion yuan ($576.36 million) for the goal of constructing a 5A tourism attraction in three to five years.

Aiming to build a place for cultural exchanges about Yue Opera and a platform for pioneering work in the industry of cultural creation, the town will utilize the second most popular opera in China.

Song Weiping, chairman of Zhejiang Greentown Group, the main investor of the project, addressed the foundation ceremony saying the group will do its best to invest and construct the cultural town. He hopes the culture of Yue Opera can be fully displayed in the town. By taking in elements from other operas from around the world, the town is expected to become a world stage.

The expected construction layout of the Yue Opera cultural town in Shengzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Shengzhou Fabu WeChat]