Recently, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the list of selected plays (performers) for the 2025–2026 China Opera Audiovisual Project. Three operas from endangered genres in Gansu Province—Baogong Offers Apology (Dengzhan Head Opera from Lingtai County), Zhang Liang Selling Cloth (Liangzhou Bantai Opera), and Loyal Blood in the Western City (Longnan Shadow Tone Opera)—along with Martial God’s Divine Bell (Baiyin Quzi Opera) were selected. This selection showcases Gansu Province’s recent efforts to strengthen the preservation and transmission of endangered opera genres and local theatrical traditions.

The China Opera Audiovisual Project is a major cultural heritage initiative implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It imposes stringent requirements on the artistic excellence of selected productions and performers, their representativeness of their respective opera genres, and their value for preservation and transmission. The project employs a meticulous recording process that prioritizes video capture before audio, with iterative refinements to achieve optimal results. By utilizing separate high-definition video and high-quality audio capture techniques, followed by precise synchronization, the project strives to preserve the singing, recitation, acting, and acrobatic combat movements—along with the overall stage presence—of Chinese opera in the most authentic and flawless manner possible.

The selected works from Gansu Province in this round span a number of opera genres with distinctive regional characteristics. Dengzhentou (Lampwick Head) Opera is a local opera genre unique to Lingtai County in Pingliang City, Gansu. Bantai Opera is a form of folk quyi (melodic art) native to the Wuwei area of Gansu. Longnan Shadow Tone Opera is an endangered genre indigenous to southern Gansu. These productions serve as important vessels carrying local cultural memory and aesthetic characteristics. Through the "Audiovisual" recording process, they can be preserved not only for archival purposes and use in troupe education, but also promoted and disseminated through various channels such as new media, digital museums, and the Cultural Information Resources Sharing Project. Through high-quality digital documentation, these works are poised to reach a national audience and be passed down to future generations.