The English translation of this year's theme was then changed from "flourishing" to "burgeoning", which signifies new beginnings and new hopes.

The festival returned this year from Oct 15 to 24. A total of 66 performances of 24 productions from around the country were staged in Wuzhen's 12 theater venues. Nearly half of the plays were created by female theater artists.

Due to international travel restrictions, the festival highlighted young Chinese theater practitioners with a special section called Above the Clouds, the Sky Opens.

The section included five plays featured in Theater for Living, a reality show produced by video streaming platform iQiyi earlier this year that brought young theater artists to live and create together in Wuzhen.