Suichang county in Lishui, Zhejiang province welcomed its annual Tang Xianzu Culture Festival in the middle of April.

Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) was a celebrated playwright, known among his fans as "China's William Shakespeare". He was once the director of Suichang county and won a lot of respect from the public because of his thoughtful consideration for people and outstanding administrative performance.

In Suichang, Tang wrote his most renowned play Peony Pavilion and stressed the importance of both farming and reading.

Tang's thought is still of great significance to the county's development. Suichang has now figured out an approach to realize rural vitalization, which is to promote the integration of economic and cultural development, according to Shen Shishan, director of the county.

Reading rooms and cultural halls are scattered all around Suichang, forming a profound cultural atmosphere in southwest Zhejiang.

To promote Tang's thoughts and to commemorate his pragmatic deeds, the county initiated a culture festival featuring time-honored customs and assorted folk activities in 2006. The event takes place every year.

This year, nearly 100 experts and scholars held in-depth discussions on Tang's artworks and political ideas. In addition to seminars on different topics such as cultural inheritance and the comparison between Tang and Shakespeare, Suichang revived some traditional ceremonies including banchun quannong (encouraging agrarian activists when spring arrives).

Banchun quannong, a traditional ceremony for encouraging agrarian activists when spring arrives, is held in Suichang county, Zhejiang province on April 14 as part of the Tang Xianzu Culture Festival. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]