China's central government has decided to spend 10 million yuan (about US$1.2 million) per year from 2005 to 2009 to revitalize Kunqu Opera, said a source with the ongoing national meeting about Kunqu Opera.

The investment will be mainly used to collect traditional librettos, create new plays, support public performances, save rare materials, promote the opera distribution and train and reward professionals, reported Friday's Guangming Daily.

China will establish four Kunqu Opera protection areas for composing, researching and exchanging the opera, according to the National Kunqu Opera Preservation Project, initiated by the Ministry of Culture this year.

The public financial support of Kunqu Opera has brought new life to this ancient opera form in some developed regions such as Shanghai and Jiangsu Province. The national project is supposed to effectively preserve and develop the ancient opera across the country, said the ministry.

Kunqu Opera was named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to its list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2005)