A Dong Opera audition draws crowds in Liping county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture in Southwest China's Guizhou province on Feb 15. [Photo by Yang Daifu]

Southwest China’s Guizhou province is on the hunt for inheritors of its Dong opera, holding several auditions across the province.

In Liping county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong autonomous prefecture, over 80 performance teams took part in an audition on Feb 15, followed by 20 teams entering the final held at the county cinema on Feb 20.

This is the third audition to be held in Liping county, the largest Dong village in China. The auditions are aimed at conserving Dong Opera by forming a talent pool, and also act as a warm-up for an approaching tour.

Sub-contests in the other four townships, Long’e, Zhaoxing, Yandong and Yongcong have been held since Feb 6.

Stretching back about 200 years to the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912), Dong Opera, was listed among the first batch of state-level intangible cultural heritages in 2006.