The annual folk art fair at Majie village is one of the largest of its kind in China. It resumed in-person activities on Friday in Henan province’s Baofeng county, attracting over 1,000 folk artists from across the country with a gift for storytelling, ballad singing, crosstalk, traditional opera and other folk arts. Photo: VCG

China’s famous storytelling artist Liu Lanfang performs at the Majie fair on Friday. Every 13th day of the first month on the Chinese lunar calendar, folk artists flock to the small village to perform a variety of live performances at Majie village. Photo: Li An/Xinhua

A large crowd gathers to watch the 79-year-old artist Liu’s storytelling on Friday. Photo: Li An/Xinhua

A 63-year-old folk artist performs with a three-stringed traditional Chinese lute, known as sanxian, at the fair on Friday. Photo: Li An/Xinhua

An artist performs kuaiban, an oral storytelling accompanied by the beat of bamboo clappers, on Friday. Photo: Song Yanhua/Xinhua

A performer displays his instruments to the audience on Friday. Photo: Song Yanhua/Xinhua

Artists perform at the fair on Friday. Photo: Lan Hongguang/Xinhua

A blind folk artist waits for his partner to help him register to perform at the fair in 2019 at Majie village. Photo: VCG

A man performs at the annual Majie fair in 2019. Photo: VCG

A senior carrying a folding chair waits to watch a traditional opera performance at the folk art fair in 2019. Photo: VCG

An artist wearing a costume walks by a row of stalls selling food on Friday morning. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin

People flock to watch the performances at the Majie fair on Friday. Photo: Li An/Xinhua

A statue depicting a man playing a drum sits at the site of the fair on Friday. With a history of over 700 years, the Majie folk art fair was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage item in 2006. Photo: Chen Liang/Caixin