Folk performances enhance Spring Festival celebrations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In the Legend of the White Snake, the scenes of Madame White Snake traveling with her faithful companion the Green Snake along West Lake, a picturesque place in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, and bumping into Xu Xian, an intellect and her future husband, are considered the most romantic in this popular household tale.

The story has been adapted into operas, films and TV dramas. In this Year of the Snake, the plot has been reenacted in various forms, such as pao han chuan ("ride a land boat"), a popular folk dance in which performers dance in prop boats made of paper, cloth and other materials.

Dancers recently staged a performance of the tale to enhance the Spring Festival celebrations in Beijing. Performers from across the country presented nine folk shows including the pao han chuan rendition of the Legend of the White Snake.

Folk performances enhance Spring Festival celebrations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Museum of the Communist Party of China and its neighbor, the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, jointly presented a performance in their shared outdoor square on Feb 2 to celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Snake.

Celebratory social practices in celebration of Chinese New Year were added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Dec 4. The practices include festive preparations, clan worshipping activities, fairs and folk performances across the country.

Guo Nian (Celebrating New Year), an exhibition displaying Spring Festival traditions, is running until March 2 at the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum, which will hold activities on Feb 11 and 12 to celebrate Lantern Festival.

Folk performances enhance Spring Festival celebrations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Folk performances enhance Spring Festival celebrations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Folk performances enhance Spring Festival celebrations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Folk performances enhance Spring Festival celebrations. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]