Beginning April 21, Shenzhen will commence a four-month art
festival to mark the Second China (Shenzhen) International Cultural
Industry Fair (ICIF), which will be held in mid-May.
The festival is part of Shenzhen's endeavor to boost the city's
cultural reputation and make it a cultural hub in South China, said
officials with the Shenzhen Municipal Culture Bureau and Shenzhen
Municipal Publicity Department yesterday.
More than 20 high-quality performances will be staged in the
four months of the art festival. Among the performances scheduled
are the dance "Shaolin in the Wind," a concert by German pianist
Tina Zeller, a pop concert by Taiwan musician Jonathan Lee, and a
concert 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 shortly," said Chen Wei, chief of Shenzhen Municipal
Culture Bureau. "These shows represent the highest artistic
standard of China, though most are new to local audiences," Chen
said.
Guo Yonghang, deputy chief of Shenzhen Municipal Publicity
Department commented: "Shenzhen government is willing to give
financial incentive to encourage local cultural community to create
high-quality original works while introducing excellent artworks
from home and abroad. It's also likely that the government
introduces venture capital to promote the art production." He also
announced the city's ambition to host international music festivals
and music contests in the next five years.
(Shenzhen Daily April 13, 2006)
