Jiaxing built 110 cultural auditoriums in villages across the county in 2016, and the Spring Festival tour is designed to celebrate this effort, according to Chen Yueqiang, director of the publicity department of Jiaxing. This kind of grass-roots gala to celebrate Spring Festival is becoming a new custom in villages in Zhejiang.

Stalls displaying local dishes and traditional arts and crafts were also set up in the square beside the stage, offering products such as fried spring rolls, rice cakes, paper-cutting art, bamboo-weaving products and clay sculpture.

Three UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) hovered above the stage to capture the most wonderful moments of the performances.

Gu Fengjuan, an official from Jiashan county, said the cultural activity organized through the joint efforts of Jiaxing and Huzhou has helped bring people from the two cities together.

Acrobat Li Yun balances ten wooden benches on his head during a performance in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province on Jan 8. [Photo by Lu Wei]

Traditional arts and crafts are displayed at a folk performance in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province on Jan 8. [Photo by Lu Wei]