Dancers from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region perform at a Spring Festival gala held in Xiaqiao village, Ninghai county of Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, Jan 17, 2017. [Photo by Qin Jirong/chinadaily.com.cn]

A gala show to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival was held by the local government in Xiaqiao village, Ninghai county of Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province on Jan 17, 2017. 

The gala was organized by the publicity department of Ningbo city and the publicity department of Ninghai county.

Almost all the performers were from a farming background, according to Chen Wu, an official in the Ningbo government.

The show included 13 different performances by villagers from surrounding villages, one performance involving performers from Weigan village in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and a performance involving dancers from both Ningbo and Xinjiang.

The gala showcased different styles of singing, opera, comedy skits, acrobatics, kuaiban (a form of fast storytelling similar to rap) and music from different parts of China.

One segment that was particularly well-received by the audience was a performance that highlighted the changing wedding fashions the country has witnessed over the past few decades, and involved real-life couples walking onto the stage wearing the wedding clothes that were fashionable at the time they got married.