'Meet in Beijing' arts festival adds online shows for 2021

The 21st Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival is scheduled to be held from Jan 7 to Feb 4 in 2021, with online shows added to its program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Titled "Passion of Winter, Online Arts, Classics in Memory", the 2021 edition of "Meet in Beijing" will feature 42 performances staged by art troupes from 24 countries. Among them, there will be 31 online shows and 11 theatrical performances, according to a news conference for the event held in the capital on Tuesday.

The festival will also include a series of Winter Olympic-themed cultural activities, six art exhibitions as well as art forums.

Every Friday during the month-long event, online shows featuring music, plays and dancing will be broadcast for free. The art forms on show will include Ukrainian ballet, German opera, Italian classical music and contemporary dancing from France, Israel and South Korea.

In Beijing's major theaters, people will be able to watch operas including The Flute and Turandot from the Bregenz Art Festival, and an HD recording of the musical Funny Girl.

The 2021 Meet in Beijing Arts Festival is organized by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the State Administration of Radio and Television, the Beijing government and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It's presented by China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd and the Beijing Culture and Tourism Bureau.

"Meet in Beijing" has been going strong for two decades, inviting more than 30,000 artists from more than 120 countries and regions to perform in the Chinese capital and attracting more than 4.3 million audience members.