BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 2,000 performers from 19 opera troupes nationwide have kicked off their one-month performances in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, presenting a diversity of traditional Chinese opera with local distinctions.

Hosted by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the event is aimed at boosting the preservation and development of traditional Chinese opera, the China Culture Daily reported Tuesday.

During the 26-day performance season, audiences will have the chance to savor the beauty of 17 types of Chinese opera including the widely-known Huangmei opera and Yue opera, as well as rare genres such as Xi opera, said the report.

Statistics show that there are currently 348 types of Chinese opera but most of them are unfamiliar to audiences.