Performers from East China’s Shangdong Province performed the rural folk dance Yangko for audiences in Beijing last Friday. (Photos: He Xiaoyan/People’s Daily)

The show was choreographed to present the dramatic changes in the coastal province over the past 40 years when the reform and opening-up policy offered a growth period for development to a large portion of China. (Photos: He Xiaoyan/People’s Daily)

Yangko is a popular artistic form of dancing and singing with hundreds of years of history, normally seen in areas in North China and parts of East China. (Photos: He Xiaoyan/People’s Daily)

Yangko was among the intangible items of national cultural heritage approved by the State Council in 2006. (Photos: He Xiaoyan/People’s Daily)

Performers from East China’s Shangdong Province performed the rural folk dance Yangko for audiences in Beijing last Friday. (Photos: He Xiaoyan/People’s Daily)

Performers from East China’s Shangdong Province performed the rural folk dance Yangko for audiences in Beijing last Friday. (Photos: He Xiaoyan/People’s Daily)