The 11th National Children's Quyi Gala came to a successful close on Aug 4 in Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, concluding with a meeting and a performance.
During the meeting, Chen Shihai, vice-chairman of the Zhangjiagang Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, reaffirmed that Zhangjiagang, as the second "Famous Quyi City in China", would continue to preserve and develop quyi, which refers to traditional Chinese storytelling and performing art, and nurture new talent to promote the development of this art.
Quyi artists also shared their opinions on the development and education of quyi among children.
The performance featured various traditional quyi forms, such as kuaiban (a traditional Chinese spoken-word genre with rhythmic bamboo clapping), Chinese cross-talk, and jingyun dagu (storytelling in the Beijing dialect accompanied by drums). Epics of minority ethnic groups were also performed, such as the Kyrgyz people's Epic of Manas. These performances, blending traditional Chinese culture with modern elements, offered a refreshing experience for the audience.
Ju Ping (middle) and Jin Dou (right) from CCTV and Yu Tianbo (left) from the Zhangjiagang Suzhou Pingtan Inheritance Center host the performance of the 11th National Children's Quyi Gala. [Photo/WeChat account: zjgwtgl]
Founded in 2006, the National Children's Quyi Gala is among the most influential children's quyi events in China. Since 2018, the gala has found a permanent home in Zhangjiagang.