Aside from the performances, local villagers made the day even more colorful with assorted folk activities, such as sharing Laba congee, beating glutinous rice to make rice cakes and butchering pigs. A group of calligraphers from Longquan penned Spring Festival couplets for villagers, and primary school students displayed their paper-cutting arts.

Calligraphers write Spring Festival couplets for local villagers. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Jan 5 was also the Laba Festival, a festival on the Chinese calendar marking the day of Buddha's enlightenment. To Chinese people, the arrival of Laba Festival marks the beginning of the countdown to Spring Festival.

A local villager Xu Haiqin highly praised the cultural activity and hopes more performances could be brought to her hometown. A performer from Quzhou said the visiting performance offered a chance for him to have face-to-face communication with the audience, which was beneficial in polishing up his performance. He also pointed out that it does good to promote cultural exchange and help establish a closer friendship between cities.

Zhejiang has built many auditoriums and squares in recent years for people to sing, dance and watch operas. A local official said more cultural activities will be brought to the village to enrich the cultural life of its citizens.