China-Greece intl theater festival debuts in Athens

ATHENS -- The first Sino-Hellenic International Theater Festival kicked off on Saturday, with Chinese dramas bringing an audio-visual feast to the audiences.

"The festival is an amazing initiative. It is something that of course we fully support from the side of the Greek government," Christos Dimas, Greek deputy minister of culture, told Xinhua at the opening ceremony.

"We are very hopeful that within the next year we will have a lot of cultural exchanges between the two countries," Dimas added.

Chinese Ambassador to Greece Xiao Junzheng said, "China will continue to cooperate with the Greek government, especially the ministry of culture, to implement more cultural cooperation programs."

Two dramas will be performed during the two-day event, including "The Prince of Lanling" from the National Theater of China, and "The New Legend of the White Snake" produced by the Sino-Hellenic Performing Arts Alliance.

In an effort to ensure that the audiences from Greece and other countries can enjoy the performances, both works are equipped with full bilingual subtitles in Greek and English.

Ioanna, a young Greek working at a local company doing business with China, told Xinhua that she was eager to enjoy the performances. She said she has been learning the Chinese language for three years and is fond of the Chinese culture.

"It is interesting, because it is about the traditions of the East. I want to bring my kids to enjoy the impressive costumes here," said Aggeliki, a mother of two children.

The launching ceremony also featured activities for people to experience the Chinese culture, including Chinese calligraphy, Kung Fu, dragon and lion dance and cuisine.