Shaoxing City, east China's Zhejiang Province, has launched a series of programs that leverages traditional local Shaoxing Opera to boost tourism, providing a cultural feast to visitors from across the country.

Shaoxing Opera, emerged in the early 1900s in the city and adjacent areas and became popular in the metropolis of Shanghai. It has a rich repertoire mainly of romances, and is known for its gentle music and graceful movements.

As this year marks the 120th anniversary of the birth of Shaoxing Opera, the city of Shaoxing as its birthplace has rolled out a series of celebration events, including the sixth China Shaoxing Opera Festival which opened on Friday night.

During the festival period, tourists can enjoy the opera performances and learn classic singing techniques while touring scenic spots.
At the Shenyuan Garden, the melodious tunes of Shaoxing Opera filled the air as performers in costumes gracefully acted the classic play "Chai Tou Feng" (The Phoenix Hairpin) in the real site, as the classic garden is actually where the story of the play took place.

After the performance, the actors interacted with the audience, offering hands-on guidance on singing styles and stage movements. The immersive experience allowed tourists to appreciate both the beauty of the classic garden and the unique charm of the opera.

"I just learned a movement of the huadan (young female role) in Shaoxing Opera, which is the kind of gesture the character in the play makes when enjoying the scene while strolling in the garden. In Shaoxing, people can enjoy Shaoxing Opera performances in many scenic areas and restaurants. It feels like opera is everywhere," said a tourist.

During the festival, Shaoxing has set up over 20 "corners of Shaoxing Opera" across the city for people to enjoy the art, which are scattered in parks, shopping malls, communities and tourist attractions. Then there are also initiatives like promoting Shaoxing Opera on campuses and in communities.

On the opening day of the festival alone, key scenic spots across Shaoxing saw a 13.5-percent year-on-year increase in visitor number, with more than 50 percent of them coming from other cities.

"We hope to bring Shaoxing Opera into people's daily life and into the city's streets and alleys through more diverse approaches, making the art a beautiful cultural landmark of our city. We also hope to launch more new culture-tourism products," said Xia Yongjiang, director of the Shaoxing Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism.