A story of storytelling

Lianhualao artist Weng Renkang performs Three Slaps. CHINA DAILY

Nearly 260 performances were presented online, while others were staged live. Experts and artists also joined forums and seminars.

The quyi genre lianhualao, from Zhejiang's Shaoxing, marked the opening ceremony.

Lianhualao has a wider audience base thanks to its clarity and witticisms.

Representative lianhualao performer Weng Renkang brought a routine entitled Three Slaps.

It presents a humorous take on a street-side argument in which Weng advocates civility over aggression.

"Lianhualao employs a lively performance style. We use our local dialect to portray the stories, so the stories strike the right note with audiences," Weng says.

"It also highlights wisecracks through language and storylines."

He thoughtfully selected this story set in a modern scenario rather than a classical routine.

"To promote folk arts, we need to compose works that appeal to the general public, especially youth," he says.

"We're also experimenting with novel performance styles through song and the spoken word. When we perform in other parts of China, we use Mandarin with a Shaoxing accent rather than the Shaoxing dialect so audiences can understand."