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Yueju Opera performers take a group photo at the 10th Yueju Opera Spring Festival Gala in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

The 2026 "Singing the Same Tune" Yueju Opera Spring Festival Gala took the stage at Shaoxing Grand Theater on the evening of March 7. As a flagship event held continuously for a decade, the performance served as an early prelude to the commemoration of Yueju Opera's 120th anniversary.

With "love" as its central theme, the gala brought together nearly 20 recipients of the Plum Blossom Award — China's highest theater honor — as well as national first-tier actors and outstanding young performers. The theater was filled to capacity, with many audience members traveling from other cities specifically to attend this annual event that has run for a decade.

The two-and-a-half-hour performance featured a rich array of styles and classic pieces. Excerpts from ten operatic works showcased Yueju Opera's diverse interpretations of love.

Young audiences filled the theater, making up nearly 70 percent of attendees. Limited-edition 10th-anniversary merchandise, romantic decorations, and commemorative cards displayed in the theater lobby quickly became coveted collectibles among fans.

"Shaoxing is the hometown of Yueju Opera. We must not only be guardians of its heritage but also pioneers of its innovation," said Qiu Jianping, founder of the "Singing the Same Tune" brand and producer of the Yueju Opera Spring Festival Gala.