With melodious “Lahuanqiang” (a type of Liuqin opera), moving red stories, and relatable comedic skits, the second “Night of the Yihe River” small play and opera showcase recently had a spectacular performance in Lanshan District. The actors delivered outstanding performances, and the audience filled every seat, creating a lively atmosphere with continuous applause. More than 100,000 people watched the event online.

Excerpts from the Lu opera “Li Ersao Remarries” and Liuqin opera pieces like “Listening to the Wife’s Words” and “Selling Watermelons” thrilled the many opera fans in attendance. The skit “Common Prosperity” tells the story of the village’s first secretary leading the community toward shared wealth, reflecting the confidence of party members and officials in rural revitalization and their determination to achieve common prosperity.

The term “small plays and operas” refers to shorter performances, typically lasting 20 to 30 minutes, characterized by their compact size, brief duration, and fast pace.

To stimulate creativity and vitality in small plays and operas, Lanshan District actively responded to Linyi City’s initiative for promoting these performances. The district organized local professional artists, community cultural enthusiasts, and cultural and tourism volunteers to form a dedicated creative team, gradually producing high-quality, community-oriented small plays and operas that resonate with everyday life, feature engaging plots, are concise, easy to understand, and reflect local characteristics.

This year, Lanshan District invited the playwrights, directors, and actors of the two plays “This Is How It Should Be Done” and “Departing Today” to train 26 local theater troupes, participating in a yearly tour to bring performances directly to the community.

In terms of presentation style, Lanshan District adheres to “speaking the local dialect, acting as local people, and singing local stories,” respecting grassroots creativity. It organizes and mobilizes cultural groups, volunteers, and drama enthusiasts to create small plays and operas, using relatable expressions and simple dialects to tell Yimeng stories, red stories, and contemporary tales, ensuring that the audience can easily understand and enjoy them, thereby achieving an educational yet entertaining effect.

Simultaneously, Lanshan District promotes tourism through culture, empowering cultural tourism with small plays and operas. Building on traditional performances, it leverages commercialization and digitalization in cultural tourism to drive innovation in performances, enhancing the audio-visual and aesthetic experience of small plays and operas. Tailored small plays, skits, and comedic sketches enrich the offerings at tourist attractions, enhancing visitor experiences and becoming signature products for both scenic areas and rural tourism.