A Kunqu opera master from Shanghai performs at Taicang's South Garden on April 28. [Photo/WeChat account: TaicangTourism]

A Shanghai-Taicang Kunqu Opera Performance and a Painting Exhibition were held in Taicang's South Garden on April 28 as part of the city's 2018 Tourism Culture Festival.

The activities, sponsored by the Taicang Municipal Tourism Administration and Shanghai's Travel Times, a weekly magazine, aimed to strengthen exchanges between the two cities in tourism and culture.

Kunqu opera masters from Shanghai performed with opera lovers from Taicang and shared their feelings and experience in learning the operas.

Dai Dunbang, a Chinese painting master, also showcased his works in the activity, including four pictures about Dream of the Red Chamber, one of China's Four Great Classical Novels and four about the Return of Soul at the Peony Pavilion, a romantic tragicomedy play written in 1598. The works will be displayed in the South Garden for a long time.

In recent year, the Taicang travel bureau has attempted to integrate tourism with culture by introducing traditional Chinese painting, porcelain making, Xuan paper making and quyi (Chinese folk art forms including ballad singing, storytelling, comic dialogues, clapper talks, cross talks, and so on) to traditional Chinese gardens in hopes of helping local residents and tourists experience the charm of traditional Chinese culture.

A Kunqu opera master from Shanghai performs with an opera's lover from Taicang in the city's South Garden on April 28. [Photo/WeChat account: TaicangTourism]