When he recalls childhood memories of Spring Festival, which marks the first day of the first lunar month, Qu Peng, 44, still feels excited.

In addition to the delicious food made by his family and new clothes his parents bought him, Qu enjoyed watching traditional Chinese operas performed by art troupes from Shaanxi, his home province, and the neighboring provinces of Shanxi and Henan.

Born and raised in a small village in Tongguan county, Shaanxi, Qu said, "First came the sounds of percussion instruments such as drums and cymbals, before two costumed performers wearing heavy makeup appeared on the stage.

"Once they started singing, dancing and practicing martial arts, they were transformed into characters from ancient times, such as heroes fighting on the battlefield. They performed outdoors on very high stages, and I usually woke up early in the morning, hoping to squeeze my way to the front to get close to the performers."

Qu's parents worked with an art troupe from Tongguan that specialized in performing Qinqiang Opera. Compared with Jinju Opera from Shanxi and Yuju Opera from Henan, Qinqiang Opera has always been Qu's favorite.

Performed in the Shaanxi dialect, Qinqiang Opera is known for its intense rhythm and high-pitched singing. The first such work Qu learned to sing was the classic Three Drops of Blood, which premiered in 1919 and tells the story of a wrongful conviction.

"When the audience cheered and applauded the players, I wished I had been one of the performers," he said.

Now an actor with Yisushe Theater in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, Qu heads the performance team. For Spring Festival this year, he will stage more than 80 shows at the theater.

"Each day, from the first day of Lunar New Year until Lantern Festival (which marks the end of the Lunar New Year), we will perform in Xi'an and villages in Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan. We put on about nine shows a day and our audiences usually gather in front of the stage on benches ahead of the shows," Qu said.