Capital feast in China

The National Ballet of China will also present its latest production, The Crane Whisperer, at the festival. It features principal and prima ballerina Ma Xiaodong and Zhang Jian.

To mark the conclusion of last year's festival, famous Peking Opera performer Zhang Huoding, a master of the Cheng School, which is one of the four top schools for dan (female) roles in Peking Opera, presented two sold-out shows of classic Peking Opera pieces, Reunion in the Dream and The Jewelry Pouch.

Last September, she also made her debut at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

This year too, Zhang has been invited to bring the curtains down on the festival by performing another classic Peking Opera piece, The Legend of the White Snake, by working with well-known performers Ye Shaolan, Song Xiaochuan, Zhang Yao and Jin Xiquan.

For those interested in music, Chinese folk singer Gong Linna will hold concerts from May 20-22. The shows are her latest projects with her husband, German composer Robert Zollitsch. The couple are known for their contemporary experiments with traditional Chinese instruments and melodies.

Audiences will also get to see two theater productions from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. They are An Enemy of the People by Lin Zhaohua from Beijing People's Art Theater and Waiting for Godot by Taiwan's Wu Hsing-kuo, both interpreting Western classics from their own angles.

Free workshops and masterclasses on ballet, piano and drama will also be held across the city to cater to young children and students during the festival.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn