On the evening of October 21, the 9th Fujian Arts Festival officially kicked off at the Fujian Grand Theatre. Embracing the theme “Building Dreams on a New Journey, Singing the New Era,” the festival aims to celebrate arts as a grand occasion for the public. Running until November 15, the festival showcases a vibrant mix of artistic forms, including drama, music, dance, acrobatics, folk arts, visual arts, and calligraphy.

The main events will take place in Fuzhou, featuring a series of six major activities: the opening and closing ceremonies, professional art performances, community cultural events, cultural exhibitions, cross-strait cultural exchange activities, and creative markets.

The opening performance, themed “Blossoms in a Blessed Land,” highlighted representative works from recent artistic creations in Fujian. It employed a rich variety of artistic expressions, such as traditional operas, dance, acrobatics, and folk storytelling, blending ancient and modern styles, as well as Eastern and Western dialogues, to multi-dimensionally showcase the new image of Fujian’s unique cultural arts.

At the event, celebrated artists like Zhou Hong, Su Yanrong, Chen Juanjuan, Huang Yanyan, Zheng Quan, Sun Li, Lin Zihao, and Yang Shuai—award winners of prestigious honors such as the Chinese Government Cultural and Arts Award, the Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Drama, and the Shanghai White Magnolia Drama Performance Award—performed selections from various works, including Fujian opera “Life,” Songzi Drama “Qiaopi,” Puxian Opera “Walking with an Umbrella,” Yue Opera “Tang Wan,” and an opera titled “Letter to My Wife.”

The Fujian Arts Festival, recognized as the highest standard and largest-scale comprehensive cultural and artistic event in the province, began its journey in 1989 as a sub-event of the second China Arts Festival. Over the past 35 years, the festival has transitioned from being held every five years to every three years, successfully conducting eight sessions so far.

Organizers have announced that Taiwanese performing arts groups will also participate, creating a significant platform for artistic collaboration and integration across the strait. The aim is to energize the festival with a “Cultural + Various Industries” approach that unlocks new experiences in cultural tourism consumption, creating a fresh scene in cultural and tourism integration and developing new business models in the sector.