The 12th Cross-Straits Quyi Festival came to an end on the evening of July 2 in Pingtan, the closest place on the mainland to the island of Taiwan as well as a pilot zone designated to facilitate cross-Straits integration. Quyi is an umbrella term for over 300 regional genres of traditional Chinese oral performing arts.

The activity is guided by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and hosted by the China Quyi Artists Association, the Fujian Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Administrative Committee of Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone. This year's festival involves three performances, one seminar, and one lecture. Over 40 artists from across the Straits, including Jiang Kun, chairman of the China Quyi Artists Association and a cross-talk performing artist, and Liu Zengkai, head of Wu Zhao Nan Xiang Sheng & Theater Association from Taiwan and a cross-talk performing artist, performed on the stage.

Performance of Nanyin music, a traditional opera sung in the Minnan (south Fujian) dialect

“Nanyin music is a traditional opera sung in the Minnan (south Fujian) dialect. I felt cordial when I heard it. And it brought back a lot of childhood memories,” said singer and actor Wei Huini from Taiwan.

Fu Qiang (Left) and Li Jindou (Right) pictured performing cross talk, a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy

"Although this is the first time I have come to Pingtan, I have heard about the gorgeous scenery of Pingtan long before." Li Jindou, a well-known Chinese cross-talk artist, hoped that cross-talk would bring more laughter to locals and make people feel the charm of quyi.

Themed “Cross-Straits Quyi Exchanges and Cooperation in the Post-pandemic Era,” the seminar was held on the morning of July 2. Experts, scholars, and artists mulled over topics of expanding quyi exchanges and enhancing the creation and performance of quyi.

Performance of Sichuan Qingyin, ballads sung in Sichuan dialect

“People seem to pay more attention to spiritual enjoyment in the post-pandemic era. We should jump on the bandwagon and create impressive works,” said Ji Wei, vice chairman of the China Quyi Artists Association and a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage Meihua Dagu.

Peggy Ji, a female cross-talk comedian from Taiwan, said that people from two sides of the Straits share the same origin. She proposed that we be open-minded and embrace social media. She also hoped to inspire more women to join in cross-talk performances.

Performance of Suzhou Pingtan, a regional variety of quyi and a musical/oral performance art form popular in southern Jiangsu, northern Zhejiang, and Shanghai (the Jiangnan region of China)

Sheng Xiaoyun, vice-chairman of the China Quyi Artists Association, is a Suzhou Pingtan performing artist. Because the mandarin "评弹" and "平潭" are homophones, she felt at home in Pingtan. "Winning the younger audience is as important as cultivating worthy successors. Inject new vitality into the traditional art through relentless innovation,” said Sheng Xiaoyun.

Performance of Nanping Nanci, a kind of folk art forms that is popular in Nanping, northern Fujian

“As the closest place to the island of Taiwan on the mainland, the activity has been held for two consecutive years in Pingtan, which coincides with the founding mission of Pingtan as a pilot zone to promote the integrated development of the two sides of the Taiwan Straits,” said Jiang Kun. He also expected the quyi festival could serve as a platform to that end.

The Cross-Straits Quyi Festival, endorsed by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, has been held for 11 consecutive years since 2011. It has played a positive role in promoting cross-Straits quyi exchanges and cooperation, jointly carrying forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture. 

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