Ouju opera Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan is staged at the 2024 Briefing on Zhejiang & Spring Festival Reception. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

The 2024 Briefing on Zhejiang & Spring Festival Reception was held at the Garden Hotel Shanghai on Jan 17, showcasing the charm of Zhejiang.

The Wenzhou Ouju Opera Art Research Institute performed a segment of the classic Ouju opera Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan (Zhang Xie, the top-scoring scholar in the imperial examination), showcasing the uniqueness of Chinese traditional culture to guests in Shanghai from various countries.

Ouju opera originated in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties (1368-1911) and was originally named Wenzhou luantan before being renamed to Ouju Opera in 1959 after Wenzhou's formerly name of Dong'ou. It is popular in southern Zhejiang and northern Fujian.

Ouju opera includes various vocal tunes and is an ancient multi-vocal opera genre in China. Ouju opera is widely studied by scholars at home and abroad.

Zhang Xie Zhuangyuan is the most intact ancient Chinese opera script and is considered to be China's first-ever opera.

In addition to Ouju opera, the event also showcased Wenzhou intangible cultural heritage items such as puppet shows.

A puppet show, a Wenzhou intangible cultural heritage item, is staged at the 2024 Briefing on Zhejiang & Spring Festival Reception. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]