The opening ceremony for Shandong intangible cultural heritage celebration month was kicked off on Jan 18 at Lishan Theater in the province's capital city of Jinan.

An array of vibrant artistic performances of more than 20 state and provincial-level intangible cultural heritages were staged at the opening ceremony, including Mount Taishan shadow play, southwestern Shandong percussion music, Shandong Bangzi opera (wooden clapper opera), and Lv opera and acrobatics; all supplied by intangible cultural heritage inheritors.

Sponsored by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture, the month-long extravaganza is aimed to better preserve and showcase the province's rich intangible cultural heritages, enrich the life of Shandong residents, and deepen people's understanding of Qilu culture.

Costumed folk artists perform Haiyang Yangge (a popular rural folk dance), a state-level intangible cultural heritage, at the open ceremony of the Shandong intangible cultural heritage celebration month in Jinan, Jan 18, 2017. Consisting of a leader, musicians and dancers, Haiyang Yangge performances have always been an important part of daily local life in Shandong. Watching or acting it has always been a joyful form of entertainment for the public. [Photo by Hu Honglin/sd.people.com.cn]