A stage photo of drama Xuanzang's Pilgrimage [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2019 edition is co-organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai municipal government. Since its establishment in 1987, the festival has changed host cities in each edition, traveling to areas including Beijing, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Hubei over the past three decades.

Sales of tickets have opened online, with concessionary tickets priced from anywhere from no cost up to 380 yuan ($56), according to the organizers. 

To allow a larger audience to access the programs, the festival will also feature live broadcasts online. "We will use new media to bring the shows to more ordinary people through livestreaming, letting them know about the modern development of Chinese arts," said Zhu Di, head of the ministry's arts department, at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.