9th Paris Chinese Opera Festival opens with 'The Orphan of Zhao'

The grand opening of the 9th Paris Chinese Opera Festival, jointly organized by the Paris Chinese Cultural Center and the Chinese Opera Academy, took place on Nov 6 at the Guimet National Asian Arts Museum Theater in Paris. Over 280 Chinese and French dignitaries, including Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye, representatives from the French Ministry of Culture, and various other esteemed guests, attended the opening ceremony and watched the Peking Opera "The Orphan of Zhao".

Jamel Oubéchou, representing the Guimet Museum, welcomed the guests and announced that in celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism, the museum has designated 2024 as the "Year of China" and organized a series of Chinese cultural activities that have garnered significant attention. The Paris Chinese Cultural Center, a close partner of the Guimet Museum, was honored to host the eagerly anticipated 9th Paris Chinese Opera Festival at the museum.

Jean-Pierre Wurtz, the French chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 9th Paris Chinese Opera Festival, said in his speech that the Paris Chinese Cultural Center initiated the biennial Chinese Opera Festival in 2003 to introduce traditional Chinese opera arts to French audiences. Chinese traditional opera is known as the "Chinese opera" in France and serves as a window for Western audiences to understand the essence of Chinese culture. The revival of the Chinese Opera Festival after a six-year hiatus, in collaboration with the Chinese Opera Academy, at the Guimet Museum in 2024, symbolizes a significant gift to commemorate the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations.