Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, the Municipal Government of Beijing and the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and hosted by China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture, the “Meet in Beijing” Arts Festival is a large comprehensive arts festival catering to various tastes of audiences in multiple ways. The arts festival carries forward Chinese art and culture, introduces foreign arts, and promotes international cultural exchanges.

In 2000, the first “Meet in Beijing” Arts Festival, held to welcome the new millennium, was well received. Its success has continued for the last17 years as an annual major event in spring that bridges Beijing with the rest of the world in the art field. As a prominent comprehensive arts festival in China and one of the largest spring arts festivals in Asia, “Meet in Beijing” is well recognized internationally.

The event has received support from governments and major media. CCTV and Beijing TV Station cover the festival by live or pre-recorded shows broadcast to millions of viewers. The “Meet in Beijing” Arts Festival has become a well-known cultural brand of Beijing.

Each year’s edition offers various types of activities: stage performances at theatres, galas at squares, art exhibitions and professional symposiums. The event always invites a country as a guest of honor and presents themed activities or special performances in line with its character. Over 1,000 arts groups and 30,000 artists and actors from 115 countries in five continents have presented performances in the past 17 years. Artists have included the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Shakespeare Company, opera conductor Valery Gergiev, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, Filippina Lydia Arena, and performers staging the famous musical, Cats.

Themed with “serving the city with arts”, the “Meet in Beijing” Arts Festival has in recent years developed a structure that integrates innovation with traditional content. With China’s increasing economic and social development, Beijing is becoming a significant stage in the field of international politics, economy and culture. “Meet in Beijing” is an invitation card to the rest of the world in the name of art, a gala of arts presenting diversified cultures, a symphony compiled by all who love peace and the arts, and a beautiful showcase of humanity.

Official website: http://www.meetinbeijing.org.cn