A range of finely composed symposiums were performed at the fifth Cantonese Opera Cultural Art Festival held in Zhanjiang's county-level city Wuchuan, a cradle of opera, from Dec 15 to 19.

The event, guided by the Guangdong Department of Culture and sponsored by Wuchuan Municipal Government, was aimed at preserving the city's Cantonese Opera culture as well as enriching people's lives.

The closing ceremony of Wuchuan's fifth Cantonese Opera Cultural Art Festival is held in Zhanjiang's Wuchuan on Dec 19. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

Some 60 opera troupes, along with famous performers from home and abroad and more than 100 budding opera singers from across Guangdong took part in the festival.

Cantonese Opera has been popular in Wuchuan since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Over 5,000 opera performances are held in its villages every year, and the revenue from opera related activities can be as much as 50 million yuan ($7.2 million) per year.

Cantonese Opera is performed at the festival. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

Wuchuan itself is famous for its south school of Cantonese Opera, popular in southwestern Guangdong. It is renowned for its bold, emotional, and exaggerated expressions, accompanied by the resonant gongs of drums. In August 2014, it was included on the list of national intangible cultural heritages.

The unique style of south Cantonese Opera has even traveled overseas, and has been staged in Singapore multiple times.

Audiences enjoy a range of Cantonese Opera performances. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

Wuchuan was named the hometown of opera in Guangdong province this October.