Love is in the air at the ongoing 5th Minorities Art Festival of China. A romance-based musical featuring the unique culture of the Tujia ethnic group had its premiere in Beijing. The Minorities Art Festival of China is meant to give people a first-hand look at the country’s ethnic diversity.

Huang Sije, the first Tuijia village musical made its debut in Beijing and it received a warm reception at Tianqiao Theater.

The musical is inspired by a local folk song in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of central China's Hubei Province. The local tune boasts a history of more than 150 years. The performance also integrates tunes of other folk songs in Enshi such as Dragon Boat Melody and Six Sips of Tea. It is a love story between a Han man and a Tujia lady.

Huang Sije, the first Tuijia village musical made its debut in Beijing and it received by warm reception at Tianqiao Theatre.

“Our traditional music is a treasure of our Tujia ethnic group and it’s definitely a highlight of the show. The singing in the musical is original, it’s raw. I hope the audience can feel that,” Zhang Mingxia, lead actress.

“My character is a street vendor of the Han people, who’s in love with a young lady of the Tujia ethnic group. Through this story about an ordinary couple, the musical tries to bring unity between different ethnic groups in our country. There’s singing, dancing and acting, so for me personally it’s quite a challenge but I enjoyed it,” said Cai Cheng, lead actor.

The musical took the creative team more than three years to complete. During this process, the cast and crew spent a lot of time in villages of the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. And their  hard work has paid off.

“This is the first origianl musical of our Tujia ethnic group. And through this work we want to show people our past and present, also our unique traditions. We are excited and honored to represent Hubei Province here at the 5th Minorities Art Festival of China, which I think is a great platform to showcase our country's diverse ethinc culture,” said Mei Changsheng, director.

Thirty-five representatives from across the country will participate in the festival, which began on August 16 and runs to September 14.