Since the twinning of the city of Elefsina in Attica Region with the city of Haicheng in China in 2014, famous Chinese Opera Theatres have been performing at the Aeschylus Festival every year. This year, the Festival is hosting on 27 August the opera Goddess Marriage by the renowned Anhui Huangmei Opera Theatre, directed by Qiao Zhiliang.

Meanwhile, an exhibition of Chinese Opera Costumes was inaugurated at Elefsina Cultural Centre on 10 August. The exhibition, which will run through 9 September, is organized by the municipality of Elefsina in collaboration with the Chinese embassy in Greece. It features a selection of about 100 authentic costumes, photos and videos reflecting the most important types of traditional and modern Chinese Opera. They represent 20 types of Chinese operas from 17 provinces, according to Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Ambassador Zou characterized the exhibition as a gift of Chinese people to the city of Elefsina. "Chinese opera integrates history, literature, music, dancing, handcraft, martial arts. It is a gem of Chinese civilization", he stressed. On his part, Elefsina mayor George Tsoukalas noted that there is no alternative to cooperation between cities, people and societies. “We must strengthen the common points we have, and smooth out our differences”.

As Elefsina has been designated European Capital of Culture for 2021, both sides entertain high expectations for further collaboration.

Source: china.org.cn