Nantong Jiaoxiang village used to hold “dongzi celebration” after crops ripened in autumn. The gathering was also called “Xutang celebration” and was presided over by an elderly and respected old man in Xutang. Dongzi’s performers were invited to give a play on a date in the middle of the month, at which people would pray for happiness with the help of “sky lanterns”. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the customs of the “dongzi celebration” no longer existed, and Dongzi performers instead staged Nantong Opera.