China Experimental Xiqu Exhibition Concluded with A Showcase of Operatic Innovation

The 2025 China Experimental Xiqu (Traditional Opera) Exhibition closed on February 8 with a grand performance at the Zhou Xinfang Art Space.

Since its launch in 2015, the exhibition has sustained its popularity as a national trendsetter for operatic innovation.

This latest edition moved beyond presentation alone, activating original creativity and cultivating the next generation of masters through a newly established incubation section.

Officials noted that this year's exhibition achieved a record-high average attendance rate, with several popular productions such as Yueju Opera "King Lear" and Kunqu Opera "Alone on the Orchid Boat" playing to a sellout crowd.

The younger audience in theaters was striking. Younger theatergoers see small-theater opera as a culturally avant-garde social engagement, not a pastime.

Another highlight of the two-month exhibition was the Traditional Opera Innovation Lab. The organizers empowered creative talent.

The organizers specially invited experts from fields like social sciences, artificial intelligence and interactive entertainment to conduct 12 customized training sessions for young performers.

Zhang Jie, president of the Shanghai Center of Chinese Operas, said that they aim to build an ecosystem that enables talented young people to discover connections between traditional culture, modern technology and contemporary thinking, and in turn cultivate operatic forms that belong to the future.