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The gongs and drums were beating, and people were bustling. Starting from May 3rd, the provincial intangible cultural heritage Putang Bridge Temple Fair was held in Putang Community, Honglan Street.

According to legend, the 26th day of the third lunar month is the birthday of Emperor Cishan. According to tradition, local people hold traditional temple fairs to pray for good weather and peace in the area. Nowadays, the living standards of villagers are constantly improving, and temple fairs have become a place of emotional attachment to the past, showcasing the beauty and prosperity of life in the new era.

The most eye-catching folk parade at the temple fair is composed of 500 people, mainly from the Putang community and surrounding villages. It is divided into five teams, each with different responsibilities. The first team of villagers hold flags and umbrella covers, symbolizing "good luck"; The second team is throwing forks, performing performances such as "passing forks" and "high-altitude throwing and catching" along the way; The third team is led by a girl in pink clothes carrying a flower basket on her shoulders, showcasing the beauty of tranquility; The fourth team is a remarkable stilt performance, where villagers dress up as classic characters from the drama book; The fifth team is led by villagers carrying the "Cishan Emperor" on a trip, and there is also a devout incense worship team in front of them.

Both sides of the team were lined with onlookers, and each household would set up incense tables to welcome them. During the three-day period of the temple fair, every afternoon and evening, there will also be a series of exciting opera performances on the stage of the Putang community. Villagers from surrounding villages and towns will come one after another to worship Bodhisattvas, watch large-scale performances, and go to the market, creating a lively scene.

Jiang Bangsong, who is 50 years old this year, is the captain of the stilt team. He has been participating in this activity for nearly 20 years. "At first, I would practice daily half a month in advance every year. Now that I am proficient, I can walk with a bamboo pole tied," Jiang Bangsong recalled when he first joined the stilt team. In Jiang Bangsong's childhood memories, the Putangqiao Cishan Temple Fair was even more lively than the Chinese New Year.

After starting work, Jiang Bangsong will also take leave in advance and rush back to the community to attend the temple fair. "Many of our villagers have taken special leave to come back, even if they work in Guangdong, Shanghai and other places, they have to rush back to participate in temple fairs. This is our unchanging tradition."

The members of the "Bodhisattva" performance team voluntarily participated, and every household actively participated. Jiang Bangsong's father was in the waist drum team and his mother was in the incense worship team. Influenced by this, Jiang Bangsong naturally joined the performance team, hoping to contribute to the temple fair.

The bamboo pole on stilts is nearly 1.8 meters long, and beginners need to put in some effort to master it. "I am also gradually exploring and mastering skills, but of course, I also need to study hard and practice hard to endure this hardship." For the future of the stilt team, Jiang Bangsong hopes that more young people can participate and continue this folk activity, so that the roots of intangible cultural heritage can shine in the river of time.

Whether it's the costumes of opera characters in the stilt team or the bustling scenes during opera performances, it can be seen that opera elements are deeply loved in the Putang community. "Inheriting intangible cultural heritage is an important carrier for telling a good community story." Shi Yanhong, Secretary of the Party Branch and Director of the Neighborhood Committee of Putang Community, said that in recent years, the community has focused on the inheritance and development of intangible cultural heritage, integrating traditional Chinese opera into the daily lives of residents, actively organizing "stage performances", traditional Chinese opera competitions, and lectures on traditional Chinese opera knowledge, etc., so that intangible cultural heritage can shine with new vitality in the new era and enter the public eye. It is understood that the first private theater reform and innovation demonstration site in Nanjing, the Liqing Huangmei Opera Troupe, is settling in the Putang Community. The community has conducted in-depth exchanges and cooperation with the Liqing Huangmei Opera Troupe, and has created an original Huangmei opera "Putang Bridge" inspired by the national cultural relic protection unit in the jurisdiction - Putang Bridge. Once it was released, it received rave reviews and was deeply loved by the audience.