KUNSHAN, China, Sept. 10, 2025 -- The 2025 Chinese Opera (Kunshan) Festival, co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, opened on September 8 in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Building on past festivals that highlighted the classic role types of Sheng (male), Dan (female), Jing (painted face), and Chou (clown), this year's program focuses on martial arts theater. The opening performance featured martial arts excerpts presented by six renowned masters of Chinese opera, and throughout the festival—which continues through September 20—20 martial artists from across China will present 10 joint performances, reflecting the ongoing preservation and innovation of traditional Chinese opera.

At the opening ceremony, certificates were awarded to participants selected for the 2025 National Leading Talent Development Program for Chinese Opera, along with honors for institutions recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism between 2020 and 2024 as Outstanding Opera Production Initiatives.

This year's festival is anchored by five signature programs: opening and closing ceremonies, a national showcase of opera performers (martial arts theater), invited performances of acclaimed productions, opera symposia, and initiatives to preserve endangered opera forms. It also includes five extension programs: opera exchange and promotion activities, the "Watch Opera, Visit Jiangsu" cultural tourism campaign, a special exhibition at the Chinese Opera Museum, a traditional opera cultural marketplace, and a digital promotion platform.

Over the course of the festival, 39 performances will be staged, featuring 107 productions from 53 ensembles representing 31 distinct opera traditions. Performances and activities will be hosted at a variety of venues, including traditional theaters, historic towns, museums, universities, and scenic sites, offering audiences immersive cultural experiences.

Kunshan, the birthplace of Kunqu Opera, the earliest form of Chinese opera, is hosting the festival for the seventh consecutive year. A new three-year action plan has now been launched to guide its future development. From 2018 to 2024, the festival presented 348 opera genres, including puppetry and shadow theater, bringing together 494 organizations that staged 295 performances featuring 606 excerpts, while drawing record audiences both in person and online.