To attract audiences back to performing arts venues, local authorities are also offering about 100,000 low-priced tickets to shows during the Guangzhou Art Season.

According to a Zhejiang Daily report, theaters in Zhejiang province are also witnessing a revival, with audiences returning for live performances.

On May 28, Zhejiang Wuju Opera Troupe staged the classic production Legend of the White Snake, featuring award-winning performers Yang Xiayun and Lou Sheng.

The newspaper report stated: "Tickets sold out in just one day. The theater had to open seats on the second tier to cater to the audience."

Wuju, a form of opera from Jinhua, Zhejiang, has its roots in neighboring Anhui province, with a history dating to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The traditional art form was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

Theater audiences in Zhejiang are also returning for The Legend of Beauty, staged by the Suzhou Ballet Theater. The company finally resumed its tour by staging performances in Hangzhou on June 15 and in Shaoxing on Friday. It also staged the production in Ningbo yesterday.

Li Ying, a former ballerina who cofounded the company in 2007 with her husband Pan Jiabin, also a former ballet dancer, said, "We planned to go touring immediately after the Spring Festival holiday in February, but had to postpone these plans until now."

The couple, principal dancers with the National Ballet of China from 1987 to 1992, joined the United States ballet company BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, before dancing at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater in Pennsylvania for 12 years until 2006.

Li said: "It's been a roller coaster ride with the pandemic. Our dancers are even more excited to return to the theater than our audiences."

During Duanwu, the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the company gave outdoor performances near Jinji Lake, a scenic spot in Suzhou-the first time it had performed to audiences after new outbreaks of COVID-19 were reported in February.

"Almost every day the outdoor space was open to audiences, it was fully booked. The weather was good and people wanted to go outside to have some fun," Li said.