Festival features international crew
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2004-09-13 08:15

A record number of overseas troupes and performers will participate in the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the organizing committee said yesterday.

According to officials, festivities displaying traditional culture will be held in more innovative and vivid ways, revealing the essence of Chinese thoughts.

The Mardi Gras Carnival and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses - two well-known US festivals - will highlight, for the first time, the opening ceremony parade on September 18.

There will also be dozens of festivities and performances from countries including Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.

As prelude to the festivities, a China Day Festival will be held in Yuyuan Garden on September 17. Visitors will be able to see folk artists from ancient Zhejiang and Jiangsu provincial towns demonstrating how to make paper artworks, dye cloth or brew wines in traditional ways.

In Xuhui District, the 2004 Shanghai Osmanthus Festival, part of the tourism festival, will take place in Guilin Park on September 27 and 28.

"We are inviting more friends, especially those from abroad, to experience the culture and customs of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), a prosperous period in history," said Shen Xuqing, vice director of the Xuhui District Tourism Bureau.

He said visitors will enjoy many folk art displays, such as the Tang Dress shows, traditional Chinese tea ceremonies and puppet performances.