Playwright proves that a small county can be a stage

Huichang county, in eastern China's Jiangxi province, may not seem like a place with a bustling cultural scene at first glance, but on hot summer nights, residents pack the local theater.

In 2015, Stan Lai, a playwright born in the United States but whose ancestral home is Huichang, launched a program to bring his plays to the county.

"One play each summer, that's what I want to do for a decade," said Lai, who is based in Taiwan. "I want to see what changes will happen and how powerful art can be."