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Original Chinese musical performed in Greece

Print Share Updated: 2019-09-25 11:36

A traditional Chinese musical Homecoming after the War was performed from September 20-22, 2019 at the Municipal Theater of Piraeus, an important 120 year-old cultural landmark of the port of Piraeus, Greece.

The musical was planned by China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd (CAEG) and produced by Zhongsheng Cultural Industry Investment Co Ltd.

It was taken from The Book of Songs, the oldest collection of Chinese poetry, dating back to the 11th to 6th centuries BC. It tells the story of Ziqian, a rural physician dedicated to the treatment of people, Nanzhong, an ambitious general, and Ruolan, a beautiful and gentle woman from an  aristocratic family.

At the beginning of each scene of the musical, there is a combination of ancient Chinese paintings and modern musical notation supplemented with English subtitles, introducing the upcoming plot to help Western audiences better understand the Chinese classical story.

Zhang Qiyue, Chinese ambassador to Greece and Li Baozong, general manager of the CAEG, watched the performance with many people from local political, business, and cultural circles as well as more than 1,500 general audience members.

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An audience member poses in front of the billboard of the musical.

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All actors and staff are shown in a group photo after the performance.

"The musical is more wonderful than I expected. The story with profound cultural heritage and feelings towards the homeland resonates with local audiences in Greece,” said Ambassador Zhang Qiyue after the performance.

Nikos Diamantis, artistic director of the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus said he looked forward to seeing more excellent Chinese works like this coming to Greece in the future.

The Municipal Theater of Piraeus intends to develop long-term cooperation with the CAEG to bring more outstanding Chinese musicals to the theater.  

The performance is part of the efforts of the CAEG to boost the Belt and Road Initiative, and one of the cultural activities of the Chinese embassy in Greece celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.