A group of 20 female performers from Jinhua perform a dragon dance at the cultural tour on Jan 7. [Photo by Xu Qianhu]

A cultural tour for paired cities in Zhejiang visited Pujiang county of Jinhua on Jan 7 to celebrate the approaching Spring Festival.

A total of 12 performances were staged at Pujiang's cultural auditorium through the joint efforts of Shaoxing and Jinhua. Shaoxing brought six wonderful performances, ranging from traditional operas to kuaiban (an oral storytelling accompanied by staccato bamboo clappers) and dances. Jinhua also presented distinctive cultural performances like Wu Opera and comedy sketches.

Two dragon dances marked the beginning of the cultural tour in Jinhua. Twenty females controlled the bamboo poles under the dragons to make them move.

A highlight of the show, a performer from Shaoxing dressed up as the Monkey King somersaulting and waving his weapon to delight the audience.

An ensemble of Chinese wind and percussion instrumentalists from Shengzhou (a county-level city in Shaoxing) also performed, triggering memories of former Spring Festival celebrations long past.

Paper-cutting and bamboo weaving products were also displayed and sold to visitors, as well as local foods, such as red bean cakes. Spring Festival couplets written by famed calligraphers were also sent to villagers during the tour.

Held at the cultural auditorium, this kind of grass-roots gala has been a special custom in Zhejiang to celebrate Spring Festival. Huang Xiaomin, a villager from Jinhua, said the performances offer opportunities for cities to communicate and to learn from each other.

Visitors take photos of crafts displayed during the cultural tour in Jinhua on Jan 7. [Photo by Xu Qianhu]

Villagers watch the performances in good spirits on the rainy day. [Photo/Shaoxing Evening News]