Chinese arts and cultural festival launched

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The Beijing Dance Academy

Sha Hailin, Chinese Ambassador to Ireland and Philip Furlong, Secretary General of the Department for Arts, Sport and Tourism, jointly launched the programme for the Festival of Chinese Arts and Culture in Ireland.

Irish audiences will be introduced to a wide-ranging programme of traditional and contemporary Chinese arts and culture, much of which is visiting Ireland for the first time.

The programme includes performances from the world famous Peking Opera House of Beijing, classical and traditional dance from The Beijing Dance Academy, music from The China Conservatory of Music and The Shanghai Percussion Ensemble.

Theatre will come from The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre and The Beijing People's Art Theatre, there will be an exhibition of contemporary art from the Shanghai Art Museum, and a festival of contemporary Chinese film - China in Focus - will also take place.

Events will take place around the country, from Galway to Dublin and Letterkenny to Cork, largely in established arts festivals and venues.

The purpose of this cultural exchange is to improve the understanding between Ireland and China and as a consequence provide the basis for increased cultural, educational, social and trade relations between the two countries.

The Festival is part of a major cultural exchange programme between Ireland and China arising from an agreement signed following the visit of Premier Zhu Rongji to Ireland in 2001.

The second part follows the highly successful Irish Festival of Arts and Culture that was met with an enthusiastic response from Chinese audiences in Beijing and Shanghai earlier this year.

The Huaxia Traditional Chinese Instrument Orchestra of the China Conservatory of Music opened the Chinese season with a performance at the Galway Arts Festival last night.