On October 26 and 27 local time, the “Culture Tour of Beijing Opera in Paris” was held successively at the China Cultural Center in Paris and Les Amis de Nouvelles d’Europe. The event showcased Chinese traditional culture, represented by Beijing Opera, and Beijing’s rich cultural and tourism resources. It featured small-scale Beijing Opera performances, interactive intangible cultural heritage experiences, the “Hello, Beijing” photography exhibition, and flashmob video shooting, all of which were warmly received.

Building a Platform for China-France Exchanges, Showcasing the Diversity of Beijing Culture

The China Cultural Center in Paris, established in 2002, is China’s first cultural center in Europe. Over the past two decades, the center has built a platform for regular exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and French cultures.

The “Hello, Beijing” Photography Exhibition

The “Hello, Beijing” photography exhibition was located on the second floor of the classical building at the cultural center. The exhibition focused on historical buildings along the Beijing Central Axis and Beijing’s characteristic tourist attractions. Through the photographs, visitors can gain an immersive and vivid experience of Beijing’s rich historical and cultural heritage, as well as its innovative spirit in the modern era. The exhibition also displayed handbooks on Beijing inbound tourism and the cultural and creative products from the “Culture Tour of Beijing Opera” and the “Global Zodiac Design Competition”.

Josiane GAUDE, First Deputy Mayor of the 7th Arrondissement of Paris, Visits the Exhibition

Josiane GAUDE, First Deputy Mayor of the 7th Arrondissement of Paris, said that she visited Beijing 15 years ago and has noticed significant changes in the city through this photography exhibition. She expressed her intention to visit Beijing again next year if possible.

Beijing Opera Captivates International Audiences, Intangible Cultural Heritage Shines on the Global Stage

Live Performance of The Drunken Concubine

The two well-received events in Paris drew full houses. Performers from the Department of Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts (NACTA) captivated the audience with the resplendent melodies and rhythms of Beijing Opera through Deep Night (Ye Shen Chen), a piece that combines powerful tones with lyrical melodies. Other live performances also included the classic Mei School piece The Drunken Concubine, and the classic Tan School Dingjun Mountain, which originates from the Chinese classical literature Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

A French Opera Enthusiast Performs Beijing Opera Excerpts

A French host fluent in Chinese and a teacher from the NACTA jointly presented a pre-performance introduction to Beijing Opera, covering its origins, roles, stylized performance characteristics, instruments, and costumes. After the performance, the audience flocked to the stage to interact with the performers and take photos, showing high respect and appreciation for this art form.

Experiencing Beijing’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

In the intangible cultural heritage experience area, Lang Jiaziyu, the third-generation inheritor of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage known as Beijing “Dough Sculpture”, showcased intricately crafted Beijing Opera characters made from dough, each one lifelike and meticulously detailed. Yang Yue, a representative intangible cultural heritage inheritor of paper-cutting born in the 1990s, created vivid and exquisite Beijing Opera masks out of red paper. Wang Shang, the brand inheritor of Beijing Imperial Kitchen, collaborated with “Culture Tour of Beijing Opera” to present traditional Chinese pastries shaped like Beijing Opera characters. Guests not only savored the rich and layered flavors of these pastries but also experienced intangible cultural heritage techniques on site.

Showcasing the “Beauty of Central Axes” of Beijing and Paris, Embracing a “Rendezvous across Mountains and Seas” between Beijing Opera and Ballet

“Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital”, was recognized as a World Heritage Site in July 2024. Meanwhile, the historical axis of Paris is also one of the most famous urban axes in the world.

Flashmob Video Shooting of the “Culture Tour of Beijing Opera”

The “Culture Tour of Beijing Opera” flashmob team chose architectural landmarks along the central axes of the two cities to stage artistic performances and dialogues between Beijing Opera and French classical ballet. The exchange and integration of Chinese and French cultures highlight the unique charm of each culture and the harmony they create together.

(Edited based on relevant information from the WeChat Official Account of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural and Tourism)