The 2021 Songyang Gaoqiang Opera Festival was staged on Nov 2 in Songyang, a county administered by the prefecture-level city of Lishui in East China's Zhejiang province.

Local and out-of-town visitors gather eagerly to catch a Gaoqiang opera performance during the 2021 Songyang Gaoqiang Opera Festival on Nov 2. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn] 

Goaqiang Opera, one of the oldest existing forms of opera in Zhejiang province, is also known as a "living fossil of Chinese opera" and is currently the only national intangible heritage project in Songyang. 

The event was co-sponsored by the government of Yuyan town – located in the county – and the Songyang county bureau of culture, radio, film, television, tourism and sports.

Teams in elegant dress fully displayed the charms of folk art with spirited acting, featuring Gaoqiang opera, dragon lantern dances, waist-drum performances and a qipao fashion show.