For one week kids from all over the world will learn about China and its culture. They will stage performances, share ideas, enjoy Chinese food, learn about tea, try calligraphy and pick peaches, writes Zhang Yi.

 

 

 

More than 2,000 children from all around the world are in town for their special one-week summer holiday - the 2007 Shanghai International Children's Cultural and Art Festival that opens today.

 

Over seven days, these young ambassadors from 54 art troupes in 23 countries and regions will stage performances and exchange their ideas in forums, enjoy Chinese food, learn about traditional Chinese culture and visit typical Chinese architecture in Yuyuan Garden.

 

"Through the festival, we want to create a platform for children from different parts of the world to communicate and learn about each other's unique culture," says Ai Boying, secretary general of the China Welfare Institute.

 

It is the fifth time Shanghai has hosted the gala feast. Launched in 1994, the festival is organized every three years and this year's is the largest.

 

The opening ceremony tomorrow night at the Shanghai Grand Stage will feature musicals involving young artists worldwide, from Japan, Russia, the Philippines, China and many other countries.

 

The theme is "Peace, Friendship and the Future," and around 8,000 people are expected to join the big party.

 

"Art has no boundaries," says Ai. A full day of events will follow at the Children's Palace in the city center. Each participant will have the chance to be on stage.

 

Apart from that, they will explore Chinese culture, experience tea arts, calligraphy, paintings and paper-cutting through interesting activities. They will be encouraged to learn to write Chinese characters, decorate their own Peking Opera masks and play hide-and-seek in Shanghai's old lanes.

 

A short tour will take them from the downtown area to the suburbs where they can pick peaches and make zongzi, glutinous rice dumplings.

 

They will visit Yuyuan Garden and the silk museum, taking back to their homelands sweet memories together with lovely souvenirs, such as Chinese knots and wooden fans.

 

"Through the event, we want to let the world know more about China and Chinese history, as well as children's art," Ai says.

 

Another highlight of the festival is the International Children's Drama Festival, currently underway around the city.

 

In one month, 11 plays by troupes from eight countries and regions, including the US, Denmark, Bulgaria, Russia, Japan, Serbia and the UK, will be staged in theaters and outdoor venues. All will be performed in their original languages to add an international flavor.

 

The closing ceremony next Thursday will feature the spectacular multimedia acrobatic show "ERA - Intersection of Time," and invite the children to return in three years during the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

 

(Shanghai Daily July 28, 2007)