Homage to Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu
On the occasion of the 400th Anniversary of the death of Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare, the China Cultural Center would like to invite you to the time-leaping and space-transcending dialogue between the two literary masters and to appreciate the beauty of Chinese culture from a contemporary perspective!
The year of 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare. In homage to these two giants of literature and drama and with the purpose of promoting the Chinese aesthetics culture, the China Cultural Center will organize a thematic series of activities between September 29th and October 15th, titled as “Dialogue Across Time and Space —Homage to Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare”. It contains three parts namely: an exhibition, Kunqu opera performances (accompanied by lectures) and screenings of Chinese opera documentaries.
Exhibition: “Dialogue Across Time and Space – Homage to Tang Xianzu and William Shakespeare”
For a full-sensory appreciation of the beauty of oriental culture, the exhibition in question aims to apply high-tech means to the promotion of arts and culture. Taking the Tang-Shakespeare conversation as entry point, it narrates the life story of Tang and his classics through sections of “The Era and the Legend”, “Fantasy and Reality” and “Me@Tang” with an innovative attempt to introduce virtual reality as the medium for demonstrating the charm of Kunqu opera, one of the oldest drama genres of China.
29/09 to 15/10
Monday to Wednesday : 9.30am to 8pm
Thursday & Friday : 9.30am-6pm
Free entrance
The Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe will be giving three performances of Four Dreams of Linchuan, also known as the treasure of Kunqu art, at the China Cultural Center. During the performances, the audience will be able to enjoy many classical Kunqu arias in which the essence of Chinese classic drama culture is firmly kept. In the meantime, Kunqu experts will be helping interpret the opera content aria after aria, so that the audience will have a better understanding of the world of Kunqu opera while immersing themselves in the beautiful tune.
03/10, 04/10, 05/10
7.30-9pm
Auditorium
Chinese Movie Nights: a Week of Chinese Opera Documentaries
The Center’s classic event, the Chinese Movie Nights, will also be a featuring part of this series, indeed documentaries about Chinese opera will be played to give the visitors better insights into its cultural background and its high artistic achievements.
10/10 & 12/10
6.30pm
Auditorium
We sincerely invite you to join the high-class conversation between the two literary giants from different cultural backgrounds and to get in touch with the clash and integration of oriental and western cultures!
The program is subject to change. Follow our Facebook page to stay tuned!
The entry to all the abovementioned activities is free but registration is compulsory for the Kunqu opera performances and the Chinese Movie Nights.