Dong Yaopeng party secretary of the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association, visited Zhangjiagang’s municipal cultural center, Changchunguan book market, Jintan community, Donghuyuan community and other venues, in a bid to increase his understanding of the city’s achievements in folk art.

Folk art culture in Zhangjiagang has developed in recent years, and traditional arts such as Suzhou Pingtan – storytelling and ballad songs in the Suzhou dialect – and Heyang Baojuan – Baojuan is a genre of Chinese narrative literature intended for performance - have been listed as part of the country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. In addition, talents such as Li Zihong andNi Xiayu have risen to prominence, several outstanding folk art performances like Conscience and The Adventures of Little Papaya exceeded expectations in various competitions, and cultural products and brands have emerged.

During his visit on June 25 and 26, Dong said that Zhangjiagang should aim to become a safe haven for people-oriented folk art, and should develop a creative and effective branding strategy focusing on local cultural characteristics.