The Peking Opera Festival held by Jingju Theater Company of Beijing had a great success with their performances in Germany and Italy.

Taking a picture together after the performance on September 20th in the Teatro Massimo Bellini.

The Peking Opera Festival held by Jingju Theater Company of Beijing had a great success with their performances in Germany and Italy. In the period of September 12th to 25th, three traditional productions - The Orphan of Zhao, Lü Bu and Diao Chan and The Legend of the White Snake, as well as, other Peking Opera Galas - were staged in the Reithalle München, the Teatro Massimo Bellini and the Teatro Rendano. The Peking Opera Festival provided an opportunity for the audiences in Germany and Italy to gain a deeper understanding of this Chinese form of art. Peking Opera, as a traditional Chinese art form, has gained increasing admiration from Western audiences.

The Peking Opera Festival won a full house and gained a warm welcome by audiences in the Reithalle München, Germany. Before the performance, famous moderator Gerhard Schmitt-Thiel shared his original interpretation of Peking Opera, helping the audience to get a better understanding. The performance started with a "good evening everybody", spoken in standard Chinese, by one of the actors, who repeated his own words in the typical intonations used by the Peking Opera roles of Xiaosheng and Qingyi .The two performances in Germany were warmly welcomed by the audience, who swarmed to the stage after the performance, to take pictures with the actors and actresses.

From the left to the right: Li Enjie (director of Jingju Theater Company of Beijing),
Mario Ochhiuto (mayor of Cosenza ), Li Hongtu (famous Peking Opera actor)
at the opening ceremony of the Peking Opera Festival poster.

Peking Opera Festival not only popularized in Germany but also triggered the attention in Italy and was reported by the local media of Cosenza. According to the Gazzetta del Sud, although the audience was not used to the nasal and shrill sound of Peking Opera, they enjoyed it very much and were impressed by the elegant and colorful costumes. On September 23rd, during the intermission of the performance, the mayor of Cosenza went backstage to moderate the opening ceremony of the Peking Opera Festival poster. This precious poster will be left on the wall of the Teatro Rendano as a permanent signification.

Beside performances in Cosenza, the Peking Opera Festival was also welcomed in Catania, Sicily. This was the first time that these three traditional productions were staged in the Teatro Massimo Bellini. The Peking Opera Festival in Italy was a big success and was an important step to increase the awareness about this Chinese Opera among the Italian people.