A four-month long arts festival to mark the Second China
(Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF), which will
be held?on May 18, is to be hosted by the city of
Shenzhen.?
The festival is part of Shenzhen's effort to boost the city's
cultural reputation and place it at the very heart of cultural life
in south China, said officials of the city's Municipal Culture
Bureau and Municipal Publicity Department yesterday.
More than 20 high-quality performances will be staged over the
four months of the arts festival. Among those is the dance
production "Shaolin in the Wind," a recital by German pianist Tina
Zeller, a pop concert with Taiwan musician Jonathan Lee and a
performance by French pianist Benoit Fromanger. Another highlight
is the Australian Film Week during which seven Australian movies
will be screened.
The festival will also include 10 performances recommended by
the Ministry of Culture. Among them are the Henan opera Orphan
Saved by Cheng Ying, the drama Balled from the Yellow
Earth, the dance Dynamic Yunnan, the drama Life
and Death and the ethnic dance Red River Valley.
"We are honored that all the 10 credited shows will be staged in
Shenzhen," said Chen Wei, chief of Shenzhen Municipal Culture
Bureau. "These shows represent the highest artistic standards of
China and most will be new to local audiences," he added..
Guo Yonghang, deputy chief of Shenzhen Municipal Publicity
Department commented, "The Shenzhen government is willing to offer
financial incentives to encourage the local cultural community to
create high-quality original works while introducing excellent
artworks from home and abroad. It's also likely that the government
will introduce venture capital to promote art productions."
He also announced the city's ambition to host international
music festivals and music competitions within the next five
years.
(Shenzhen Daily April 14, 2006)