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)