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Jiang Panpan, a fourth-generation er'renzhuan performer, sings during a performance. Provided to China Daily

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Er'renzhuan, an improvised show performed by two people who sing, dance and interact with the audience, is finding a new generation of fans. Deng Zhangyu and Liu Mingtai join the crowd.

It was Christmas Eve. A long line of people waited to buy tickets at a theater in Changchun, capital city of Jilin province. Most were couples or families with popcorn. They were not waiting for a Hollywood blockbuster but were going to catch er'renzhuan, a folk show that consists of two people singing, dancing and improvising.

Decades ago, people older than 50 in Northeast China made up the bulk of the audience of the 300-year-old folk art. But now younger generations are flocking to the show after acrobatics, martial arts and even ballet were added to er'renzhuan, says Ma Pu'an, president of Northeast Wind Company, one of the three biggest er'renzhuan performance companies in China.

Telling stories of farmers' everyday life, er'renzhuan consists of two performers, a man and a woman, singing folk songs, dancing, working from a loose script and entertaining with a mix of tricks and bawdy humor.

It is very popular in villages in rural areas in Northeast China. When country folks finish a day's work, they relax by performing the show on the farm, in their houses or even on a kang, a heated brick bed.

"It was a very low culture, filled with vulgar words. Now we stage it in fancy theaters and young people like it. Unbelievable," Ma says.