On the afternoon of November 6, at the Cultural Showcase event newly introduced at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE), young performer Zhao Li from the Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre took the stage at the central plaza of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Although light rain began to fall, the clear, lyrical, and richly expressive classic excerpt from the Huangmei opera The Female Consort Prince still drew many Chinese and foreign spectators who watched in the rain, with continuous applause from the audience.

A visitor from Shanghai told reporters that he had been looking for good products at the CIIE that afternoon and, learning there would be an opera performance at the Cultural Showcase, stopped to wait. He said the young performer’s excellent show pleasantly surprised him. "The Cultural Showcase stage at CIIE allows us visitors to experience the cultural charms of different regions. I particularly enjoyed seeing Huangmei opera — the actor was professional and the performance was wonderful!"

"In recent years, we have worked to take Huangmei opera overseas and onto international stages," said Zhao Zhangwei, a young actor from the Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre. He said they have carried out cultural exchange performances in countries including the United States, Canada, Russia, and Japan. Huangmei opera is easy to understand and catchy, and is especially popular with young audiences in many places. They also hope to use the CIIE’s prominent international platform to present Huangmei opera in the global metropolis of Shanghai and help Anhui culture reach the world.

It is reported that the Cultural Showcase features distinctive programs from different countries performing on the same stage. During the CIIE, the performances will rotate through related areas of the "Four‑Leaf Clover" zone. When passionate Tibetan dance meets the lyrical tunes of Kazakh music, when the spellbinding art of Sichuan opera face‑changing encounters the fiery passion of tango steps, the "Four‑Leaf Clover" seems to become a grand stage for cultural fusion, with successive audio‑visual feasts leaving visitors reluctant to leave.

According to the schedule, in the coming days Anhui young performers Zhao Li and Zhao Zhangwei will present further classic Huangmei opera excerpts, including scenes from The Heavenly Match and The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Source: anhuinews.com