China Arts Festival concludes in Qingdao

The 10th China Arts Festival has just wrapped up Saturday in Qingdao. The winners of the much anticipated "Wenhua Awards" have finally been announced, and include the Kunqu opera "A Dream of Red Mansions". From Tibetan dance to the dance drama "Red Sorghum", adapted from Mo Yan’s Nobel-winning novel, the closing ceremony takes the audience through some of the most memorable moments of this year’s festival. The ceremony is careful to be thrifty, but still brings quality performances to the stage. "It’s a very simple stage design with a review of previous performances, I think that’s the best way to conclude the festival," said Xin Shimiao, Director of closing ceremony of 10th China Arts Fest. This year’s China Arts Festival has seen a total of 87 stage performances in the running for the Wenhua Award. Among the 14 winners is "A Dream of Red Mansions", a Kunqu Opera remake of China’s literary classic. "We’re really excited to win the grand prize. With this new version of "A Dream of Red Mansions", we want to revive traditional classics with the help of modern technology. And it works beautifully," said Yang Fengyi, President of North Kunqu Opera Theater. First initiated in 1991, the Wenhua Award is granted to professional performers by China’s Ministry of Culture. It’s now held every three years and has become a hotbed for talents and top performances. "Through the arts festival, we’ve been able to select some top performances. I think they should take a lead in China’s art scene and inspire more outstanding works," said Zhou Yude, judge of Wenhua awards. Next year’s China Arts Festival is scheduled to be held in Shaanxi province.