2025 Guilin Festival opens along Lijiang River

The 2025 Guilin Festival started on Oct 24 at the Lijiang Opera House by the Lijiang River, with an opening ceremony themed "Cultural Position · Spiritual Landscape".

Running until Nov 2, the 9-day festival follows the concept of "Nature and Art Coexist, City and Humanity Integrate" and will host over 100 events.

The opening ceremony stage integrates Guilin's landscape. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

This year's festival features "Transcendence" as its theme, a culmination of three years of development. It blends art with Guilin's natural scenery, making the landscape into a living stage. The opening performance consisted of three chapters: "War Time", "New Life" and "Resonance".

Jin Dong, a National First-Class Actor and head of China Coal Mine Art Troupe, narrated "War Time", recalling 1938 when cultural figures gathered in Guilin to resist aggression through art.

Jin narrates the history of the "War Time" period. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

The ceremony featured impressive performances, including a revised folk song, a Gui Opera-style piece, and a dance showcasing intangible cultural heritage. Audience member Ms Gao praised the high artistic standard of the performance.

The performances are inspiring. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

Hao Rong, President of the Central Academy of Drama and head of the festival's organizing committee, said that since its 2022 launch, the festival has connected Guilin to global art hubs like Edinburgh.

It also builds an art ecosystem integrating education, creation, exhibition and research, with the Central Academy of Drama cooperating with local authorities.

The audience applauds and takes photos. [Photo provided to en.gxzf.gov.cn]

The opening ceremony also featured the World Theatre Education Alliance 2025 International College Student Drama Festival Awards, presenting six Excellent Performance Awards, six Best Performance Awards, and two Best Play Awards.

The festival covers theater, music and fine arts, offering diverse shows to highlight Guilin's artistic vitality.