Young Performers Breathe New Life to Old Art Form

On a drizzly July evening, a sudden throng of people gathered on the main avenue of Sanfang Qixiang (also known as Three Lanes and Seven Alleys). The crowd spontaneously formed a semicircle, and soon several smartphones popped up as if by unspoken agreement.

Zhuang Hongming was performing on the street

At the center of the circle, Zhuang Hongming, a 21-year-old Fuzhou boy, and his teammates were putting on a flash mob show about a blind date. At the end of the performance, Zhuang announced, “For those guests eager to see which talented individual will earn the title of the Lin family’s son-in-law, please come inside.”

The crowd filed into Yijin Fang, one of the three lanes. It wasn’t long before the audience spotted their destination, a stage hovering over a pool of clear water that embodies the distinctive local charm of Fuzhou in Fujian province.

The Waterfront Stage, which was built during the Qing Dynasty, once served as a venue for elite gatherings, where performers in elaborate costumes would enchant their guests. 

The stage is a landmark in the Sanfang Qixiang historical and cultural complex, where Fujian opera was very popular 400 years ago. During the Labor Day holiday in 2025, Sanfang Qixiang received 942.1 thousand tourists. 

The Audience was watching Fujian opera 

However, time-honored traditions meet youthful creativity, a vibrant chapter of reinvention is being written. Now, actors step off the planks, weaving through the audience seated around the pond, and even stage their performances along the bustling Nanhou Street, the main street of the Sanfang Qixiang.

Over the past year, a group of young artists and cultural activists has taken the reins, transforming the Waterfront Stage from a historic landmark into a dynamic hub of interaction.

Zhuang Hongming says, “We perform in Mandarin, which first dispels some audience members’ unfamiliarity with Min opera and makes it easier for them to understand.”

Meanwhile, they have retained elements of classic Fujian opera’s charm, leaving many in the audience thoroughly captivated. “Our mission is to bring its most brilliant features to the audience,” Zhuang added.

Now, the Waterfront Stage is no longer just a stage for old stories. All these interactive innovations build a bridge between modern audiences and ancient folk art.

Stepping into the crowd, conducting rapid-fire Q&As, and designing game segments are all endeavors by the young performers.

“The most impressive part was when the actors invited the audience to join in the pot-throwing game. My participation helped move the story forward, and that feeling was fantastic,” a young female visitor comments after watching the performance.

Going forward, in order to create more innovative works, Zhuang’s plan is to dig deeper into more stories passed down orally among the local people for generations, and those clearly recorded in historical documents.

文字、排版 | 李斌斌

图片 | 李斌斌