Performers in the spotlight

Documentary chronicles the participants and their passion for China's myriad onstage art forms, Chen Nan reports.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to a new set of challenges for the performing arts industry. In a time of social distancing, theaters and artists are finding new ways to engage with audiences and practice their craft.

Amid the pandemic, a creative team consisting of members from China and the United Kingdom traveled to a number of Chinese cities and visited more than 20 Chinese artists, despite the difficulties, to make a documentary highlighting the country's performing arts scene.

On June 15, the four-part documentary, titled China on Stage, premiered on Bilibili, a popular Chinese video platform, attracting over one million viewers in its first day.

Through its four episodes－The Songs of China, The Sound of China, How China Moves and The Theater of China－the documentary, which broadcasts weekly, features a variety of performing arts, from the 600-year-old Kunqu Opera to the latest virtual pop star Luo Tianyi, as well as introducing Chinese artists and their backstage stories.