Spring Festival spirit sweeps China as cities host vibrant cultural performances

In the days leading up to the Spring Festival, cities across China have hosted a vibrant array of performances featuring folk art and traditional opera, building the festive atmosphere to a crescendo.

A dance drama centered on the relocation and reconstruction of Yongle Palace in the 1950s is currently on tour in cities including Wuhan, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.

Yongle Palace, built in Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), is located in Ruicheng County of Yuncheng, a city in north China's Shanxi Province.

Through graceful choreography, the dance drama brings to life the artistic essence of the palace's murals, masterpieces of the Yuan Dynasty, offering audiences an artistic dialogue across time and immersing them in the timeless allure of China's cultural heritage.

An upgraded version of the dance drama "Tianxia Dazu" recently concluded its run in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. It interprets the cultural depth of the Dazu Rock Carvings -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Chongqing -- through exquisite dance, conveying wishes for prosperity and harmony for all.

"A Tapestry of a Legendary Land," a theatrical piece for children inspired by the famous landscape scroll painting "Qian Li Jiang Shan Tu," or "A Thousand Miles of Streams and Mountains," is now being performed in cities including Wuhan and Chongqing.

The painting, from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126), is the only surviving work of prodigy court painter Wang Ximeng. It depicts a panoramic view of mountains and rivers and is celebrated as a hallmark of blue-green landscape painting, a style that uses mineral-based pigments like malachite (green) and azurite (blue) to create bold, vibrant colors.

Zhejiang Province in east China has also seen a surge in cultural performances. A new adaptation of the classic tragedy "Southeast Fly the Peacocks" -- based on a legendary love story from the late period of Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD) -- recently premiered at the Hangzhou Grand Theatre. The play weaves together three interlocking timelines to trace the emotional bond between Jiao Zhongqing and Liu Lanzhi, striking a chord with younger audiences.

In Zhejiang's Changshan County, an immersive drama featuring culture and tourism titled "On the Road to Quzhou" -- inspired by a classical poem depicting the local landscape -- transports audiences on a journey back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

"I brought my child to the North Gate Historical and Cultural District today, and we experienced this incredibly fun and immersive performance. It really felt like we had traveled back to ancient times," said Luo Sasa, an audience member.

In Meizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, local residents celebrated by performing the fire dragon dance and igniting sparks, praying for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and peace in the coming year. The dragon's sinuous form, set against a backdrop of dazzling sparks, created a spectacular scene in the night sky.

This traditional folk art is known as the Puzhai fire dragon dance, which was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage of China in 2008.

In addition, in the cosmopolitan metropolis of Shanghai -- a city where tradition and modernity converge -- locals are embracing the New Year in distinctive ways, with technology taking center stage.

A robotics cultural carnival that kicked off in Putuo District has brought together more than 300 robots, each with unique functions. The event features multiple interactive experience zones and 11 robotics competitions, offering visitors and residents an immersive journey into cutting-edge technologies.

Spring Festival spirit sweeps China as cities host vibrant cultural performances

South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.

The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.

Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.

He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.

"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.

The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.

"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.

This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.

The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.

"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.

"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.

In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.

"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.

As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.

Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub