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"Grasslands Legend" opens 7th "Meet in Beijing" Art Festival

Source: CCTV.com | 04-29-2007 10:55

Special Report:   May Day "Golden Week"

Mongolian musical, "Grasslands Legend", opened the 7th "Meet in Beijing" International Art Festival on April 27th. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

With the week-long May Day holiday just around the corner, the "Meet In Beijing" arts festival is getting underway.

There will also be plenty of free open-air public performances hosted by venues throughout the city. Be sure to check the event's time and place before you go.

The musical "Grassland Legends" opened the 7th "Meet in Beijing" arts festival. It traces -- via music, the key to Mongolian culture -- the history of the Mongol people from their beginnings to Genghis Khan's conquests in the thirteenth century. The show also marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region.

This year's "Meet in Beijing" has a special Spanish flavor, which can be tasted in shows ranging from the controversial experimental drama "Imperium" to Rosa Torres-Pardo's piano recital. The Iberian theme will culminate with a visit from the National Ballet of Spain in late May.

Cultural cross-pollination is also evident in a multitude of Sino-French co-productions, like the "Musical Dialogue" by violist Didier Lockwood with saxophonist Jin Hao and Er hu artist Ma Xiangfei, as well as "Giselle and Don Quixote," a joint production between the National Ballet of China and the Paris Opera.

2007 is of course also the centennial of Chinese drama, and "Meet in Beijing" certainly didn't forget to shine the spotlight on this milestone. In fact, all five of its theatrical offerings are modern dramas that explore the sorrows and joys of everyday life: from Taiwan's rollicking "Shamlet" to the offbeat mainland production "Two Dogs Life."

Almost all the theaters and main parks in the capital are being used as venues. Over 500,000 people are expected to attend the festival. As Asia's biggest cultural event of the season, "Meet In Beijing" offers a month-long extravaganza of artistic productions from all five continents.