Two artists perform Errentai Opera in the county of Hequ. [Photo by Wang Pei for China Daily]

Shanxi province's six counties and towns were recently named birthplaces of Chinese folk culture and art in 2021-23 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

An evaluation of birthplaces of Chinese folk culture and art launched by the ministry in 1987 is carried out every three years, and the title is valid for three years. 

The 2021-23 evaluation focuses on the role of selected candidates in preserving traditional Chinese culture, promoting advanced socialist culture, driving the high-quality development of public cultural services, promoting the integration of culture and tourism, and carrying out rural revitalization.

Zuoquan county, Yingxian county, Hequ county, Nanzhang town in Zhangzi county, Daiyang town in Zezhou county, and Xinjiang county won the title for their Zuoquan folk songs, Shua Haier (a type of local opera in northern Shanxi), Errentai (a kind of folk opera in which two performers, usually one male and one female, perform onstage), Bayinhui (an ancient folk music played with eight musical instruments), ancient town folk customs, and Jiangzhou drum music, respectively.