Yangtze River Culture and Arts Festival has become a platform for nationwide local culture exchanges.

?Recently, A Cup of Predestination, a newly-adapted Wuxi Opera by the Zhangjiagang Arts Centre, was successfully performed in Yonglian Village Arts Centre. The drama has drawn material from Heyang folk songs, Zhangjiagang’s national intangible cultural heritage, and has won over 10 awards, including excellent drama and performance awards at the sixth Jiangsu Drama Festival and a performing arts award at the 22nd Shanghai Magnolia Drama Festival. Over the decade, about 200 art groups from 12 areas along the Yangtze River have given more than 500 performances. Professional art groups in Zhangjiagang have learned from others and have improved their artistic creation and performance in the process of culture exchanges and interactions.

As local culture blends well with Yangtze River culture, more and more quality artistic works and outstanding art performers have emerged in Zhangjiagang. In recent years several original local artistic works have continuously won national awards, such as the Wuxi play A Happy Move, the Wuxi Opera An Absurd Lord, and the opusculum A Drunken Couple. Up to 300 artistic works are produced each year, over 60 percent of which win municipal, provincial and national awards.

This year will welcome the fifth National (Zhangjiagang) Playlet and Opusculum Contest, in which three playlets organized by the Zhangjiagang Arts Centre and three opusculums organized by the Zhangjiagang Culture Centre will compete.