The 2016 Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival opens in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province on Oct 31. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2016 Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival commenced in Zhangjiagang on Oct 31, with a staging of the newly adapted Shanghai Opera, Captain Deng Shichang.

This year marks the 13th anniversary of the festival, as well as being the third decade of Zhangjiagang developing from a nameless town into a prosperous port city.

Aimed at boosting culture and art along the Yangtze River, as well as promoting the city's image, the festival will play host to nine cultural events and five economic activities, including the seventh Yangtze River Drama Festival and the first Port City Partners Summit.

The festival opens with the famous Shanghai Opera, Captain Deng Shichang. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Of particular note, the seventh Yangtze River Drama Festival, which will run until Nov 16, is likely to be the most eye-catching – 17 opera troupes will stage 20 shows that represent traditions from the Yangtze River area, including the unique Jiangnan-style Shanghai Opera, Wuxi Opera and Huangmei Opera. The opera troupes attending and the shows that will be performed are highly-ranked.

To add more flavor to the festival, a special exhibition will display photographs recording the changes and development of Zhangjiagang over the years.

"We will endeavor to stage a more artistic and enjoyable festival, as well as promoting our city image and building up a unique cultural brand," said acting Mayor Huang Ji.

Thanks to the local government's support and residents' interest in folk arts, the port city has been granted a series of honorary titles, such as "City of Folk Art" and 'Home of Baojuan", a genre of Chinese narrative literature.

A performance takes place at the 2016 Yangtze River Culture and Art Festival in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province on Oct 31. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]