Although the younger generations no longer speak much in the Shanghai dialect, Wang Rugang is confident that this traditional comical performance will "bloom new blossoms from the old tree" with policy support from the nation.

"Laughter is universal. People all over the world enjoy comedy. Huajixi is comedy in the Shanghai dialect, an active and integral part of the city's culture," he says.

"Our first priority is to make sure that we pass the trade on to the younger generations," he adds.

"I hope we will have a space of our own－a theater with 500 seats will be good enough. This would allow us to put up regular performances so that people can come anytime and enjoy a live performance in the home dialect of Shanghai, no matter how long they've been away from the city."

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn