Modernizing cultural wealth_Chinadaily.com.cn

A legacy was presented that shows how to succeed and nurture the ambition of others, reports Deng Zhangyu.

A Qinqiang opera actress, Hou Yan was ashamed to talk about her craft as a performer of local folk opera which mainly flourished in northwest China in the 1990s. This was at a time when pop songs and music introduced from the West were in vogue and were sweeping the country.

Last month, at an opera festival held in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, the 48-year-old actress staged an opera-like piece that requires performers to sing very high, which won wide acclaim. Some even came from other cities to see her play.

“As an opera actor, I have great faith in our culture. I couldn’t imagine it decades ago,” said Hou, a delegate to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The delegate, having heard the report that Xi Jinping presented at the opening session of the congress on Sunday, deeply agreed with the part of the report that emphasizes “enhancing cultural trust and achievement of new successes in the development of socialist culture”. She has witnessed a revival of Qinqiang opera in recent decades, embodying the country’s cultural development.