Cinemas have reopened in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of north China's Shanxi Province, allowing movie lovers to catch the latest blockbusters while still observing strict epidemic prevention protocols.

For movie fans, the month-long closure of cinemas has meant they have had to make do with smaller screens at home - which doesn’t come close to the real thing.

"I love watching movies, and it was sad not to watch movies for such a long time. Then I saw the cinema opening in the morning, and I quickly booked a ticket to see a film. In fact, I really miss the atmosphere of watching movies together in the cinema, you can't have such an experience at home," said one moviegoer.

"It was really inconvenient over the last month or so, as I could only stay at home although I really like watching movies. I heard that this cinema has reopened, so I rushed over to see a film. I am excited, and I think we can't live without movies. It feels like our city is getting better as the movie theaters have reopened," said another.

Patrons at the reopened cinemas will need to show proof of a negative nucleic acid test within the last five days and a temperature check to access any theater in the city, where wearing masks is still mandatory.

"We strictly adhere to the requirements of Taiyuan epidemic prevention and control authorities, disinfecting all the public areas in the entire cinema before resuming operation," said Du Maoquan, Chairman of Shanxi Theater Corp.

"The moment I stepped in, I could see Shanxi Theater staff disinfecting the cinema. It reassured me that the epidemic prevention work has been in place from entering the cinema to watching the movie,” said a customer.