Art form gets back in the saddle

Therefore, Guo started to mobilize people that were close to him, from his daughter to his nephew.

Once he got the ball rolling, more people joined out of curiosity.

Under his training, the troupe went from being unable to carry the props to nimbly pulling stunts on stilts. They immediately packed the crowds in and started to make their presence felt outside the province.

Guo and his troupe have often been invited to give performances at big events, such as local culture and tourism promotions across the country.

They also made a point of collecting folk culture and tales in rural areas. They published their findings and re-creations in the book, Shouyang Bamboo Horse, for the public to better appreciate the drama's charm.

In 2019, Guo was named an inheritor of the provincial cultural heritage in Shanxi, and his performance stood out among other performances nationwide at the Chinese Opera Gala that was staged in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, in 2020.

"It was the first time the Shou-yang bamboo horse drama showed itself on a national stage," says Zhang Changgen, an official from the Shouyang county culture center.

"Everyone had been preparing very hard, striving for perfection," Zhang says.