Every year on li dong (Start of Winter), the traditional Chinese solar term signaling the beginning of winter, the Daliangshan Theatre Festival returns to Xichang, a sunsoaked city surrounded by mountains and lakes in the Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture of Sichuan province.

On the early evening of Nov 7, as the soft chime of bells echoed through the valley, an elderly man of Yi ethnic group entered the square, leading a black sheep, which officially marked the opening of the festival. Torches lit up the surrounding hillsides while ancient Yi songs filled the air, warming not only the valley's approaching winter but also the hearts of theater lovers who gathered there.

Founded in 2019 by 24 Chinese and international artists and scholars, this year's edition marks the festival's seventh anniversary. "Theater practitioners are like water, as we connect with one another across the world," says celebrated Chinese actor Pu Cunxin, one of the festival's initiators. "Even when separated by land, there are underground streams. We float up as clouds or fall as rain. The form doesn't matter; what matters is that we meet."

This year, the festival presented 110 productions, including 15 invited works from eight countries, such as the United States, Spain and Georgia, spanning drama, children's theater, physical theater, and other genres. More than 300 performances were staged, along with over 30 academic events, including international theater dialogues and master classes.