Theaters announce cultural events to promote Chinese arts

Caption: "A Dream of Red Mansions," a ballet that blends Eastern storytelling with Western ballet aesthetics, will be presented by the Ballet of China.

Shanghai's Wanping Theater and Changjiang Theater have announced interactive cultural initiatives for 2025.

Citizens and international tourists will be able to attend 480 performances and activities spanning a variety of creative disciplines, including opera, dance drama, folk music, and talk shows. Nearly 200 art and aesthetic education activities will be held throughout the year.

Based on two classic cultural IPs, "White Snake" and "A Dream of Red Mansions," these programs are trying to make lively and diversified Chinese arts accessible to all.

Expatriates and tourists are welcome to participate in a range of programs, including opera make-up and costume photography, handicraft workshops, citywalk and interactions with theater artists.

They can also schedule an appointment to photograph professional stage spaces and explore creative cultural products at theaters. Meanwhile, they will be able to enjoy a variety of unique shows.

The Ballet of China will perform the ballet dance drama "A Dream of Red Mansions," which combines Western ballet aesthetics and Eastern storytelling to depict a tragic love story.

In 2001, UNESCO designated Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest traditional opera genres still performed in China, as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity."

Caption: Creative cultural products inspired by traditional Chinese arts

Caption: Zhang Ran, a post-90s performer, will perform a light-hearted concert to showcase Kunqu Opera's elegance and modern appeal.

Zhang Ran, a young performer from the post-90s, will deliver a lighthearted concert that will showcase the opera's beauty, delicacy, and contemporary appeal while reinterpreting melodies.

Fang Jinlong, a folk musician, will perform a crossover act that incorporates crosstalk and traditional Chinese instruments.

New performances of the guqin, a seven-stringed plucked Chinese musical instrument, will be presented by the Shanghai-based Zide Guqin Studio, which has a large following worldwide. They will perform works that may be several thousand years old, as well as ancient Chinese musical compositions.

Due to the popularity of the soundtracks for the video games "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Ne Zha 2," many Westerners have also been fascinated by the unique and piercing sound of the suona, another traditional Chinese instrument. A recital by suona musician Hu Chenyun will shed light on the instrument's little-known romantic appeal.