Art festival's vision delights overseas audiences

Productions sing and dance around the globe as China welcomes more foreign shows, Zhang Kun reports.

As the China Shanghai International Arts Festival reaps the rewards of promoting the performing arts to global audiences, eight theater productions from China will be presented in Edinburgh, Scotland, this month.

"For more than 20 years, we are dedicated to introducing high-quality shows from abroad to China and promoting outstanding local productions to the world," Li Ming, president of the center for the CSIAF said at a news conference held last Thursday, announcing the list of 13 productions it has successfully introduced to the overseas market this year.

"Last year we saw the return of overseas productions to the Shanghai festival following the pandemic impacts. This year, we are glad to see the overseas art markets are opening up for our shows," he says.

Now through to Tuesday, eight productions from China are being presented at the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

These are: Riding Alone, a puppet show about a young performer's journey of self-discovery by the Shenzhen Puppet Art Theatre from Guangdong province; Look at Them!, a dance and physical theater show by Wen Xiaochao; Forging the Swords, a play adapted from a short story of the same title by Lu Xun, produced by the Central Academy of Drama; Hi, Sid! an original musical by the Ju You Yi Si Theatre Troupe; The Love Bridge, a Huju opera program by the Shanghai Huju Opera Theatre; Ancient Ship, an original musical production of the CSIAF Youth Art Troupe; Beautiful Earth, a gala concert by the Little Companion Art Troupe, a company established in 1955 at the China Welfare Institute Children's Palace; and the concert by pipa virtuoso Wu Man.

The original musical Ancient Ship tells about the excavation of a shipwreck from more than 150 years ago at the Yangtze River Estuary, revealing the rich cultural heritage and historical development of Shanghai. All the songs but one will be performed in English. The performing group CSIAF Youth Art Troupe was founded last year, consisting of primary and junior middle school students from Shanghai.