Performances of xiangsheng or crosstalk usually feature two performers clad in traditional long robes, standing behind a wooden table and engaging in witty banter, although there are solo productions and those involving three players or more. [Photo/WeChat account: qdweishinan]

The Qingdao Quyi Club located at the Qingdao Western Old Town -- in the Shinan district of Qingdao city in East China's Shandong province -- has been established for 11 years, offering nearly 2,000 performances for local quyi lovers, according to local media reports on Jan 24.

Quyi is a traditional Chinese art form spanning a variety of categories including ballad singing, storytelling, comedy sketches and Chinese crosstalk.

The Qingdao Quyi Club is one of the longest established and most performed private folk arts groups in Shandong. Here visitors can enjoy the city's quyi performances, in particular comedy sketches and Chinese crosstalk.

The western old city is noted for having a profound cultural heritage and a deep connection with traditional Chinese artforms such as opera and crosstalk.  

"As the integration of culture and tourism cannot be separated from the support of great numbers of quyi lovers, the active presence of the Qingdao Quyi Club, the city's golden cultural calling card, is considered as being important to revitalize the traditional culture of Qingdao,"  said a senior official at the district's bureau of culture and tourism.