The 11th Xikou Cultural Festival opened in the Donghe district of Baotou, in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, with an evening gala held on June 15, according to the Baotou Evening News.

The festival celebrates the historic population migration movements, most notably from Shanxi province to Baotou’s western regions – as people moved to increase their employment prospects, known as zou xi kou, or crossing the west ferry.

Baotou is home to many of Shanxi province’s original residents, who began to migrate there en masse during the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644).

This migration pattern lasted more than 400 years, only coming to an end in the early years of the Republic of China (1912-1949). The migrants developed a rich rural culture, one treasure of which is Jin Opera.

The evening gala was presided over by Wang Xiaolei, a CCTV host, and Jiang Weihong, one of the country’s leading actresses.

The cultural festival will highlight the folk culture of Baotou city and will feature, among other performances, er en tai -- a folk opera performed as a male-female duet -- and Jin Opera.