Lights, camera, tractors!

During the recent summer vacation, visitors followed local villagers along ancient lanes in Yinan county, Shandong province, joining a "supply team" bound for the front line.

The immersive Retrace the Frontline Supply Route performance in Changshanzhuang village was not staged in a theater. Instead, it took place in the same locations locals once hauled supplies along to support frontline troops during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

Since its launch in October 2024, the performance has drawn tens of thousands of visitors.

"This is completely different from anything we've done before," said Sun Fangchao, a tourist from Jiangsu province.

"I think he'll be thrilled about this for a very long time," he said while watching his 11-year-old son who moved along with the performance troupe.

For the show's creators, that emotional response is the point of its unique staging. Yinan county is famous for the Yimeng Spirit forged by ordinary villagers who risked their lives to support the Communist forces through extraordinary sacrifice during the war against Japanese aggression and the War of Liberation (1946-49).

The county has over 20 immersive Yimeng Spirit-themed performances, turning cultural tourism from a sightseeing experience into participatory education, according to the local government. The performers are villagers who know the heroic stories very well.

Ma Junling, 35, became a performer this year. Before then, she had worked as a tour guide in her village, explaining the Yimeng Spirit to visitors.

"Our village often receives groups of students on study tours. They are young and have limited understanding. A simple lecture couldn't hold their attention, but the live performances bring the stories to life and help children better understand the history and culture," Ma said.

Changshanzhuang is far from an isolated case. Across Shandong, grassroots cultural creativity is flourishing through immersive performances, verses composed by farmers, and rural micro-dramas filmed on mobile phones.

Ordinary farmers are picking up pens, smartphones, and scripts, becoming poets, actors and dramatists.