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Kunqu Classics to be Staged in the Poly Theater

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of Li Yu, a famous playwright and novelist from the late Ming (1368-1644) and early Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. A Kunqu show adapted from his work, Lian Xiang Ban (Cherishing a Fragrant Companion) will be staged in the Poly Theater in Beijing from May 11-14, 2010. The opera will then be performed in cities including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan and Chengdu. The show will be a highlight on this year’s theatrical stage.

The show portrays the affections between Cui Jianyun and Cao Yuhua, two beauties in ancient China. The two young girls fell in love with each other, and swore to become husband and wife in their next life. After numerous vicissitudes, they married the same husband in order to remain together (in ancient China, a man could marry more than one wife).

The show crystallizes the efforts of several famous artists and scholars, including Kunqu master Wang Shiyu, flm director Guan Jinpeng, scholar Li Yinhe, fashion designer Guo Pei, and make-up artist Mao Geping. An early work of Guan, Rouge, was a popular flm featuring Cantonese opera.

Summit Meeting Resort in Southwest Beijing

The government of Changgou Town recently announced that it intends to transform the town into an international summit meeting resort area. Changgou is located in southwest Beijing. It consists of 18 villages, covering a total area of 40 square km, which is equally divided between plains, hilly landscapes and mountains.

The town possesses abundant natural water fow. Warm water gushes from numerous hot springs throughout the year, and rivers fow through the town.

The picturesque town has many tourist resorts and places of historical interest, such as the Zhoukoudian palaeolithic site, the Shidu Scenic Area, Yunju Temple, Shijing Mountain Sacred Buddhist Sites and the Shangfang Mountain Natural Scenic Area. A network of roads and highways make the town easily accessible for tourists.

After the town’s government announced its plan to develop a summit meeting resort there in 2010, Changgou will enter a golden period of rapid development.

A variety of facilities serving high-end conferences will be developed in the area, including a tourist center, world geological park, luxurious hotels and family inns.

With abundant natural resources, Changgou will not only serve as a tourist resort adjacent to Beijing, but also provide meeting venues and services to summits, high-level forums, business conferences and professional trainings. Changgou’s plan will spur the rapid development of the tourism industry, the outdoor sports and creative industry in the area.