Changing stages

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.