On the morning of September 6, the Hengyang “Weekend Public-Benefit Theater” staged a warm Teachers’ Day special performance at the Municipal Government Conference Center, where every seat was taken. National-level intangible cultural heritage inheritors joined hands with young students, blending traditional opera with modern artistic expression to offer all teachers across the city a cultural gift that combined “time-honored traditions” with “innovative interpretations.”

As a special tribute to the 41st Teachers’ Day, over 90 percent of the programs in this performance were debut shows for the theater. The opening piece, Marching to Battle, broke with convention: 23 musicians from Hengyang Xiang Opera, Hengzhou Huagu Opera, and Hengyang Qi Opera troupes gave a cross-boundary ensemble performance, weaving together traditional instruments with modern arrangements. Their powerful rendition struck a resounding chord of “cultural inheritance,” instantly igniting the atmosphere.

The gathering of both national and municipal intangible cultural heritage inheritors became the highlight of the day. National-level inheritor Xia Chuanjin led the performance of the opera compilation The Love Story of Qin Xianglian and Chen Shimei, alongside municipal-level inheritors Liu Xiangrong, Lu Linlin, and others. In True Love Blossoms, a modern Huagu Opera play starring municipal inheritors Wang Rongrong and Ao Xianmei, traditional operatic singing was used to tell a contemporary story. Meanwhile, Xiang Opera musical pieces The Rising Tide of Hengyang and Yancheng, My Beloved Hometown, performed by inheritors Lu Linlin and Zhu Qing, saw the Hengyang Xiang Opera troupe and Hengyang Song and Dance Theater join forces to blend local operatic styles with the rhythm of the times, producing a performance rich with the distinctive “flavor of Yancheng.”

When the seasoned skills of veteran artists met the creativity of the younger generation on stage, the performance became a true “testing ground” for the fusion of tradition and innovation. From modern reinterpretations of intangible heritage techniques to crossovers between opera water sleeves and popular melodies, from the precision of masters’ stagecraft to the bold imagination of young performers, the “new blossoms on old trees” brought fresh vitality to ancient traditions. Waves of applause and cheers repeatedly swept through the audience.

As a Teachers’ Day special, children’s participation was indispensable. Members of the Tiantian Children’s Choir presented Hello, Teacher with their pure and heartfelt voices, brimming with gratitude for their teachers. Twenty students from Hengyang No. 17 Middle School performed the group dance Gathering Vetch, where graceful classical movements met youthful energy. Towards the finale, children ran into the audience with flowers in hand, presenting them to teachers in the hall. The heartwarming gesture moved many teachers to tears.

“With the ‘true artistry’ of intangible cultural heritage masters and the ‘youthful energy’ of the children, this is the most special Teachers’ Day gift!” teachers exclaimed after the show, describing it as both “thrilling and touching,” and expressing hopes for “more performances like this in the future.”

According to reports, as a cultural project dedicated to benefiting the people, the Hengyang “Weekend Public-Benefit Theater” has now staged 11 consecutive editions. This latest session, through the innovative integration of “intangible heritage + youth + festival,” not only breathed new life into traditional culture but also allowed teachers to feel society’s deep respect through the nourishment of art.

Translator: Jing