In Hangzhou, centuries-old drama slipped off the stage and into the street. The 19th China Theatre Festival’s opening flash mob turned Hubin Pedestrian Street’s Xizi Corridor Bridge into an unexpected playground where Kun opera’s sweeping water sleeves brushed against the kinetic energy of street dance and Peking opera gongs collided with pulsing electronic beats.

Projection technology played director: traditional choreographic gestures were deconstructed and reassembled on screens, while the drum-driven charge of the dance piece “Cavalry” synced with electronic rhythms to create a multi-sensory shock of sound, light and movement. Performers in full makeup melted into the crowd and then broke into song or dance, catching onlookers by surprise.

More than a stunt, the pop-up reimagined how living drama can converse with youth culture and public life—an invitation to see classical form in a new light and to let theatre roam the city.