By the Yellow River, the melodies of a century flow. As the sound of the lute pierces the morning mist of the northern Shandong plain, nearly 20,000 “folk artists” from the Boxing Zhuanghu Theater Troupe in Binzhou, Shandong Province—known as the “Home of Lu Opera”—actively perform in the countryside. With their unique singing styles full of local flavor, they cultivate the fertile ground of cultural heritage, build a rainbow bridge for cultural and tourism integration, and weave the threads of rural civilization, allowing the dormant nostalgia to awaken and flourish in the melody of the new era.
Commitment of the Elderly Artists
The Liu Guanzhuang Theater Troupe in Luyi Town is a solid amateur Lu Opera troupe whose countryside performances have been featured twice on CCTV’s opera channel. At 75 years old, troupe leader Zhang Zhizhong still insists on taking the stage for every performance. He says, “As long as I can move, the stage is my life.” This simple statement embodies his deep and passionate love for Lu Opera.
Progress of the Middle Generation
While the elderly artists uphold tradition, the middle generation has taken on the banner of innovative communication. Zhang Zhizhong’s apprentice, Zhang Jinguang, has been devoted to the realm of Lu Opera short videos since 2019. With thousands of short videos, over 10,000 fans, and viral works receiving more than 100,000 likes, online dissemination has brought a vast “cloud audience” to Lu Opera.
The “Opera Affection” of the New Generation
Zhang Jinguang’s son, Zhang Bohan, though only 10 years old, has already spent six springs and autumns with Lu Opera. At home, his father copies scripts for him and teaches him to practice singing line by line; at school, he actively participates in Lu Opera classes to hone his skills. When he sings traditional pieces like “Watching Lanterns,” even the elderly artists applaud. He is determined to promote Lu Opera and share it with more people.
Building a Supportive Ecosystem
Boxing County actively constructs a working mechanism led by party branches, with party members taking the lead and theater troupes participating. They establish a “four-in-one” nurturing mechanism that combines funding support, troupe cultivation, opera performances, and play creation. They also implement a Lu Opera revitalization project, building a Lu Opera Museum and an exhibition hall showcasing its origins. The county has hosted the China Binzhou Boxing Small Theater Arts Festival for 11 consecutive years and organized exhibitions of rare intangible cultural heritage theater genres. The “Lu Opera in the Classroom and Zhuanghu Troupe Cultivation” dual education project has trained over 2,000 primary and secondary students with Lu Opera skills, more than 30 Zhuanghu troupes, and over 2,000 Lu Opera core members. Contemporary original works like “Lock of Hearts” and “The Golden River” receive thunderous applause at each performance.
Cultural Integration and Rural Revitalization
On the foundation of promoting rural civilization, Boxing County leverages cultural brands such as “Home of Chinese Lu Opera” to integrate Zhuanghu troupe performances with rural tourism. They develop the “Tracing Lu Opera” cultural tourism route, with stages set up in the fields, singing not only the virtues of generations but also themes of e-commerce, cooperatives, and nursing homes in the new era. Visitors can engage in experiences like Lu Opera makeup and singing practice, receiving over 20,000 educational tourists annually, injecting continuous cultural momentum into rural revitalization.
