Chen Zhilin, director of the Sichuan Opera Troupe, has suggested the central government should allocate more funds to support the development of traditional opera troupes, and to better preserve the country's intangible cultural heritage.

Chen, a National People's Congress deputy from Southwest China's Sichuan province and also vice-chairman of the Sichuan Federation of Literary and Art Circles, made the comments at the ongoing NPC and CPPCC sessions on Tuesday.

"The government should help reduce the performance cost of traditional operas to make ticket prices more competitive. That would help to revitalize the traditional art form," Chen said.

He said it is common for nonprofit shows to attract audiences numbering thousands, but when tickets go on sale, troupes suffer from a flat box office.

"It reflects the fact that people like traditional art performances," Chen said. "Therefore, to better preserve them, the authorities should help to reduce the performance cost to make them more affordable to the populace."