0309 - China Opens First Shakespeare Festival. China's first Shakespeare fe...Back

China Opens First Shakespeare Festival. China's first Shakespeare festival opened in Shanghai and Beijing on April 10 to mark the Bard's 422th birthday. The two-week festival will present 17 Shakespearian plays. These include "Twelfth Night", "Richard the Third", "King Lear" and "The Merchant of Venice". Meanwhile, Beijing will host Shakespearian seminars for Chinese and foreign experts. The festival is being sponsored by the Shakespeare Research Society of China, the Chinese Dramatic Art Research Society, the Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Drama Academy, with China's leading playwright Cao Yu chairing the organizing committee. In addition, some Shakespearian plays have been adapted into Chinese local operas and will be performed in the festival.