The Spring Festival celebration in Qixiang Village, Huangqiao Town, Taizhou City of Jiangsu Province featured an energetic dragon dance. (CFP Photo)

Villages across the Yangtze River Delta region are hosting local programs to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The region, which includes the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui and Shanghai municipality, is a dynamic growth engine for China’s economy and currently focusing on high-quality integrated development.

In Zhejiang’s Shaoxing City, farmer Chen Hongying at Longweishan Village is an active member of the local dragon dance team, having already participated in nearly 20 shows in January.

Yueshan Village in Zhejiang’s Lishui City has hosted its annual Spring Festival gala for over 40 consecutive years. These festive programs, organized and performed by local residents, serve as a large community party, allowing locals to connect and extend New Year greetings.

As Yueshan’s unique gala gains more attention, an increasing number of villages are offering their own performances.

In Yong’an Village of Zhejiang’s Hangzhou City, Li Song, the gala’s director for the second straight year, said that participants and audiences are predominantly over 45, highlighting the challenge of engaging younger people who may lack time or interest.

Children play traditional musical instruments during the Spring Festival celebration in Gaoqian Village, Shuangdian Town, Nantong City of Jiangsu Province. (CFP Photo)

However, in Jiawang District of Jiangsu’s Xuzhou City, a brass band has become a cultural symbol for Mazhuang Village, making performances in countries like Italy and Japan since its establishment in 1988. The band’s leader, 34-year-old Zheng Qiang, also directs the village’s Spring Festival gala. Zheng recalled fond memories of the local celebrations when he was a kid, including scenes that a grandmother would sing after setting aside her sickle and an uncle could play the saxophone when he wasn’t driving his truck.

Believing that the variety show is not exclusively for the older generation, Zheng has encouraged young people to get involved by incorporating elements like street dance and martial arts to the program. Furthermore, Jiawang District has launched a series of Spring Festival celebrations, creating opportunities for these village-based shows and performers to reach a broader audience.

Generally, village galas with local flavors contribute to a vibrant cultural scene and rural development, boosting confidence among young people to start businesses in hometowns, such as opening B&Bs or employing marketing practices to sell local products.

Originality and full participation of locals help enhance a gala’s popularity. In Zhangjiagang City’s Changjiang Village, the local gala was livestreamed for two consecutive years, attracting over one million views last year, with this year’s program expected to draw 2 million views.