Chinese arts festival takes root and flourishes

Doris Tseng, a librarian at the San Francisco main library, is busier than usual this fall.

As an official liaison, her job is to coordinate seven branch libraries in the Bay Area to get ready for the upcoming Chinese film festival when a total of 20 Chinese blockbusters with English subtitles will be screened for the public starting this weekend.

A part of the fifth annual "Across the Pacific－China Arts Festival", the film festival features China-made action films, comedies and dramas that include such box office hits as Mr. Six, Detective Chinatown and Monkey King 2.

"Concrete efforts were made to align movie resources in China in order to best showcase to the West the rapidly-growing film industry, and society and everyday people those films have depicted," said Xiao Xiayong, culture consul at the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco, who is also the architect who initiated the "Across the Pacific－China Arts Festival" five years ago.

On Aug 23, Xiao chaired a news briefing to publicize 12 events－six performances, four exhibitions, one seminar and one film festival－that will run from Sept 7 to Oct 21 in the Bay Area and Sacramento in California; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

"Programs are tailored around two themes－celebration of the 40th anniversary of China's launch of reform and opening up, plus the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the China-US relationship－so they are not only well-rounded but consist of vigor, universal values and human interest," said Zha Liyou, deputy consul-general in San Francisco, at the briefing.

The Cross-Pacific China Arts Festival over the past five years, like a tree has penetrated its roots deeply into the local soil and is now flourishing, Zha said.

Artistic formats are more versatile too, said Xiao.

There are dances. Sichuan Province Song and Dance Theatre sends their drama "The Family" staring leading national dancers, while Beijing Dance Academy will showcase exquisite classical Chinese dances, he said.