A saxophone concert is staged at the No 9 quarry in Dinghu village. [Photo/lsnews.com.cn]

A saxophone concert with a unique twist was recently held in Dinghu village, Jinyun county – administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province.

Sixteen songs – including Lishui local songs and famous songs from China and around the world - were performed at the concert, which was held on July 2.

What special about the event was that it was staged in one of nine previously abandoned quarries that have been renovated for new purposes.

The No 9 quarry, where the concert took place, has great acoustic properties which makes it suitable for lectures and musical performances.

In 2021, Jinyun invited a team of architects to develop a strategy to repurpose the nine quarries – a fraction of the more than 3,000 small, abandoned quarries that exist in the county.

The quarries were then transformed into stages for cultural and social activities – in the process, making sensitive environmental improvements and creating new economic catalysts for the rural population.

The introduction of modern architectural designs is said to have given the previously abandoned quarries a new lease of life.