Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – The 7th Daliangshan Drama Festival 2025 opened on the 7th in Xichang, Sichuan Province. An opening ceremony themed "Winter Solstice · Jila Butuo" deeply integrated ethnic drama elements, avant-garde artistic innovation, and the wisdom of traditional Chinese solar terms, presenting a cultural feast of "harmony between man and nature" to a global audience, officially kicking off a ten-day theatrical extravaganza.
Amidst the sounds of "Butuo High-pitched Opera," a representative project of Sichuan provincial intangible cultural heritage, the Duoluohe opera made a stunning appearance. The opening ceremony was divided into three parts: "Winter Narration," "Welcoming Feast," and "Warm Night Begins." The traditional drama performances were精彩纷呈 (splendid and varied), including the melodious singing of Kunqu Opera's *The Peony Pavilion*, the graceful movements of Peking Opera's *The Good World*, the delicate charm of Sichuan Opera's *Flowers in Chengdu*, and the magical transformations of Sichuan Opera's face-changing technique, immersing the audience in the charm of traditional art.
The cultural characteristics of various ethnic groups were fully showcased at the opening ceremony. Pu Cunxin and Marina, along with local actors, recited the poem "Zhige Aru" in three languages. Performances featuring sheepskin drums, mouth harps, and moon lutes not only protected and passed on intangible cultural heritage but also revitalized traditional culture through artistic transformation. The vibrant dances of the Mosuo "Jiacuo Dance," the Tibetan "Guozhuang Dance," and the Yi "Thirty-Two Steps" brought the Winter Solstice night to a climax, showcasing the land's boundless vitality and the warm camaraderie of gathering together. Notably, last year's opening performance of the Daliangshan Drama Festival, "Xing Hui," returned for an encore, its avant-garde style drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience.
This year's drama festival invited 15 specially selected productions from eight countries, including China, Spain, the United States, Georgia, Italy, Brazil, France, and Russia, encompassing dozens of forms such as drama, children's plays, solo performances, physical theatre, and Peking Opera. The festival will feature 110 plays (including 15 internationally invited works), host over 30 academic events such as international theater dialogues and masterclasses, and launch innovative projects like the Nature Theater Study Club and the Aimei Theater Camp.
Besides its international scope, this year's festival also emphasizes local cultural aspects. The "Nature Theater Study Club," with its core concept of "everything is a role, and scenery has its own script," will organize theater enthusiasts to explore four routes across the Liangshan Mountains. This "theatre + nature + tourism + community" model not only allows art to return to its essence but also injects vitality into the local economy through cultural and tourism integration.
Since its inception in 2019, the Liangshan Theater Festival, with its openness and diversity, has welcomed over 400 theatrical works from 38 countries and regions worldwide, totaling 1375 performances. The Liangshan Theater Festival uses theater as a medium to tell the stories of Liangshan and China to the world; it uses theater as a window to showcase the vibrant ethnic culture of Liangshan to the globe. (End)
