The Shandong Bangzi opera Paohanchuan has gained popularity in Beijing after its performance at the 2017 New Year's Gala of Opera on Dec 30, 2016.

Yang Shengjun (M) stars in the Shandong Bangzi opera Paohanchuan in Beijing on Dec 31, 2016. [Photo/my0538.com]

It is the first time that the Tai'an-rooted folk art has been staged at the National Center for The Performing Arts. The performance was part of an annual showcase of national operas.

Shandong Bangzi (wooden clapper opera) is popular in the southwestern cities and rural areas of Shandong province, and was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in May 2006.

The Shandong Bangzi Paohanchuan cast Yang Shengjun, a Tai'an specialist in this kind of opera, as the hero in a story about the remarriage of the elderly in present-time Shandong province.

"We made many innovations to perform the opera in Beijing, including the lines, dance and tunes," Yang introduced.

"We also want to display the current lives of rural Shandong areas through the show," He added.