On the evening of March 22, the resonant sounds of gongs and drums filled the Drama Theatre of the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing as Huai Opera took the stage. The melodious singing unfolded gracefully on stage, while an audience from across the country sat in rapt attention. Jiangsu Provincial Huai Opera Troupe and the Yancheng Municipal Huai Opera Troupe jointly presented four classic excerpt performances: The Tooth Mark·Recognition in the Golden Hall, Driving the Donkey, Song Embankment·Sir Song’s Night Visit, and White Tiger Hall·Executing the General at the Command Gate. In that moment, the local accent from the shores of the Yellow Sea resonated within the national-level art venue on Chang’an Avenue.

This marked the second time in three months that Yancheng Huai Opera has graced the stage of the NCPA, and also the first time it appeared as a commercial performance in the “Hundred Operas of China” intangible cultural heritage opera showcase series. Transitioning from the December showcase at the NCPA’s 18th Anniversary Public Open Day Art Festival, where it was presented as a compilation of excerpt performances, to this large-scale commercial production represents a significant leap—one that has propelled Huai Opera from simply “going out” as a regional theatrical form to truly “integrating into” the national stage.