Shanghai International Arts Festival closes

Drama "Green Snake"

Shanghai International Arts Festival wrapped up on Monday night. An opera performance at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center marked the occasion. This year the festival commissioned a number of new music, dance and theatrical work.

The drama "Green Snake" tells the tale of two snakes that gain magic powers and become beautiful women. One of the snakes falls in love with a man, but a monk forces them to break up. The Hong Kong Arts Festival and Shanghai International Arts Festival commissioned it earlier this year - the first time they've ever done a joint commission.

Director Tian Qinxin says she's surprised at how much attention the show got during the festival, with all 10 performances sold out well ahead of time. And that's not the end - the play will go to the John F. Kennedy Arts Center in the United States next year.

"The scripts for Chinese dramas are sometimes empty. We should write stories with more emotion, as that's universally accepted," said Tian. "I'm very grateful to the two great platforms. Now I can say that we're making money."

World-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma also premiered a new Chinese concerto in Shanghai that was specifically written for this year's arts festival. It's the first time that three major symphony orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have jointly commissioned a composition.

"Commissioned works are in fact very important for symphony orchestras. It means collaboration regardless of country or nationalities, and is a very good way to inspire original works. Chinese orchestras paid less attention to that before, because musicians work exclusively for one group," said Zhou Ping, vice president of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

When it comes to diversity, many people in China think of the intangible heritage of the nation's various ethnic groups. That's why this year's forum included a combination lecture and performance of Nushu by Chinese conductor Tan Dun that mixed sound, video and literature. Nushu originated in central China's Hunan province, and is the only written language used among female friends anywhere in the world.

"No matter what type of art forms they are, the performance has to contain something Chinese. The performances at an arts festival should be different from commercial ones. Artistic value is always one of the highest criteria, and some of the works are even experimental," said Wang Jun, director of Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Organizers say they want to enhance Shanghai's function as an incubator for original works and represent the creative force of China's youth, and will strive to expand the festival's international presence with more high-quality commissioned productions.