Chinese performances applauded on opening day of The Fringe

A collective of cultural shows and musical performances from China won applause Friday on the opening day of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (The Fringe), the world's largest arts festival.

Street shows on the theme of Silk Road and a grand opening orchestral concert for a Shanghai Culture Week entered the audience.

They were joined by the theater performance by college students from China and Britain to mark the 400 anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare and of the great ancient Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu to highlight the first day of The Fringe.

The performances were part of 30 Chinese programs intended for the arts festival this year that will last through Aug 29.

Primary students from Beijing blended Chinese and European wind instruments in the street show at the Mound along Edinburgh's Princes street.

The performance to portray the Silk Road culture attracted scores of audience members amid rain. Young cultural ambassadors from Beijing interact with passers-by on the topic of Silk Road at parliament square along the Royal Mile.

The opening orchestral concert for Shanghai Culture Week, held at Edinburgh International Conference Center, was jointly conducted by Cao Peng, 91, one of China's most distinguished conductors and Richard Lewis, an official for culture and sports affairs at the Edinburgh city council.

The musical feast is expected to be followed by a design show and a fashion show to demonstrate the modern charm of Shanghai, China's main financial center, among other events in the next few days.

The joint theater performance by college students from Britain and China is centered on dreams. Their continued interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, by Shakespeare, and A Dream Under The Southern Bough, by Tang, are scheduled for Aug. 6 and Aug 8-13 to entertain visitors to the Scottish capital.

Friday was also the opening day for the Edinburgh International Festival, which kicked off with the opera Norma, with the leading lady played by Cecilia Bartoli, an Italian coloratura mezzo-soprano opera singer and recitalist.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo opened on the same day paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which dates from 1947, is world famous for its cultural diversity and a display of avant garde art. Artists from close to 50 countries and regions are expected to present more than 3,000 programs this year.