The 2024 Guilin Festival kicked off in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Saturday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Southwest Drama Exhibition. [Photo by He Pingjiang/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2024 Guilin Festival kicked off in Guilin, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Saturday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Southwest Drama Exhibition and add cultural charm to the world-known tourism destination.

In the spring of 1944, veteran Chinese playwrights, including Ouyang Yuqian and Tian Han, proposed and organized the first Southwest Drama Exhibition in Guilin, which lasted over three months. The event became a phenomenon and garnered widespread acclaim, particularly for its role in uplifting spirits during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).