The Third Shanghai International Art Festival opened Thursday in Shanghai, starting a month-long display of 52 art performances from 25 countries and regions.

Organizers said that art forms such as ballet, modern dance, symphony music, jazz, acrobatics, magic shows and Peking opera will be staged in this east China metropolis, where a successful Asia-Pacific leaders' meeting just concluded.

A series of art exhibitions and expositions are also part of the art festival.

Sun Jiazheng, minister of culture, said that the art festival will present a prospering and stable image of China worldwide and facilitate communication between different cultures.

The art festival also features a stage open to amateur artists from around the world.

So far, some 300 amateur performers have registered to perform their shows, competing with professional performers from various cultures.

(People's Daily 11/02/2001)