20th China Shanghai Int’l Arts Festival: Month-long arts festival kicks off in Shanghai

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The annual China Shanghai International Arts Festival is underway. Artists, art scholars and professionals from around the world have once again gathered to stage performances, exchange ideas and explore potential cooperation. CGTN's Xu Mengqi has more.

Big crowds, visual delights, and the best in modern and contemporary artwork.

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival kicked off Friday with a forum on "Arts and Culture in the 21st Century."

Composer Ye Xiaogang created a symphony concert for the festival's opening ceremony and gave the first keynote speech.

YE XIAOGANG, CHAIRMAN CHINESE MUSICIANS' ASSOCIATION "Western classical music was just introduced to China less than 150 years ago, but it has seen a great success here. In China's symphony halls we see an audience dominated by youth."

The morning forum featured discussions on how to engage with younger audiences, and how to create art in a globalized world.

Also part of the opening day, an annual conference on the network of silk road arts festivals.

CATHERINE J. WANG, PRESIDENT THE CENTER FOR CHINA SHANGHAI INT'L ARTS FESTIVAL "At this year's event, we will sign a cooperation memorandum with Slovenia's Ljubljana Festival, Poland's Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival, Italy's Spoleto Festival of the 2 Worlds, and the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Society."

Officially launched last year during the same event, the network of festivals has grown to include 157 art institutions from 41 countries and regions.

ANAMARTA DE PIZARRO, DIRECTOR THE IBERO-AMERICAN THEATER FESTIVAL OF BOGOTA "I think this is the way we can work together, not only the producers of the festivals, the directors of the theaters, but also the artists."

XU MENGQI SHANGHAI "Apart from a series of forums, this year's arts festival in Shanghai will also showcase a record number of 23 original productions. Among them, the highly anticipated 'Rite of Spring', by China's superstar choreographer Yang Yiping."

The dance production offers a new interpretation of Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring". It is co-commissioned by the China Shanghai International Arts Festival and Edinburgh International Festival.

YANG LIPING CHOREOGRAPHER "In my opinion, the original work by Stravinsky can have multiple readings, and I hope the reading created by me and my team reflects eastern wisdom, philosophy, and aesthetics."

A carnival for arts lovers.

The month-long festival, which lasts until November 22, will stage a total of 45 musical, dance and drama performances. Among these 25 are foreign productions. Xu Mengqi, CGTN, Shanghai.