American teens open theater festival with Chinese Mermaid

“Theater for children and young people is a ‘world language’ that enables children of different countries and races to instantly communicate without words. Theater for children and young people is the seed of innocence, kindness and beauty. It is also the seed of love, culture and friendship from which sprouts blossoms of the utmost beauty,” remarked Feng Li, president of China National Theater for Children.

Hosted by the China National Theater for Children, the 12th China Children’s Theater Festival runs through Aug 20. During the festival, 24 theaters from home and abroad will stage 262 performances of 41 plays.

For the first time, the festival has set up a special online section showcasing exceptional international children’s drama. Audiences will be treated to eight foreign productions, offering a glimpse into diverse customs and artistic styles from seven countries: Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Israel, Cyprus, Romania and South Africa. These dramas will be streamed for free on popular social media platforms such as Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and China’s Twitter-like Weibo.