The Monkey King, Sun Wukong, returns triumphantly with treasures borrowed from the Dragon Palace. In the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain, he plays and practices weaponry with the little monkeys, their joyous laughter filling the air. This lively scene is a performance excerpt from the Shao Opera play The Monkey King.
 

On the evening of December 8, at the opening performance of the 11th China-ASEAN (Nanning) Drama Week, the Xiaoshan Shao Opera Art Center from Hangzhou showcased one of the most representative acts of Shao Opera—Monkey Opera. Through masterful acting, they vividly brought Sun Wukong's mischievous and heroic character to life for both Chinese and international audiences, eliciting rounds of applause.
 

That evening, various renowned performances took the stage at the Guangxi Cultural Arts Center's Grand Theater. These included the Cantonese Opera The Drunken Beauty, the Kunqu Opera The Night of Defection, the Jin Opera The Water Duel from The Legend of the White Snake, the Cai Diao Opera Liu Sanjie: A Song of Love, as well as a Southeast Asian Theater joint showcase. Artists from China and ASEAN countries came together to present traditional classics, leaving theater enthusiasts thoroughly delighted.
 

The 11th China-ASEAN (Nanning) Drama Week, hosted by the Nanning Municipal Government and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region’s Department of Culture and Tourism, is being held in Nanning from December 8 to 12. It is one of the key events of the 2024 Forum on Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Targeting ASEAN and the 2nd China-ASEAN (Nanning) Culture Month.
 

With the theme Bridging Mountains and Seas, Theater Meets in Nanning, this year’s Drama Week brings together 40 arts groups from both China and abroad to perform 22 outstanding plays from China and ASEAN countries. Using culture as a link and theater as a bridge, the event comprehensively showcases the cultural allure of China and ASEAN nations.

Gathering across mountains and seas, the event writes a new chapter of unity. This year’s Drama Week features 12 performing arts troupes from seven ASEAN countries—Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Myanmar—and 28 troupes from various parts of China. Highlights include the opening ceremony, exhibitions of outstanding plays, personal artist showcases in the Golden Hall of Excellence, exchange forums, and the Drama on Tour series that brings performances to scenic spots. Together, these activities enable the public to enjoy the fruits of China-ASEAN theater art development.

Renowned artists gather to display their brilliance. This year’s Drama Week features art troupes and cultural institutions from Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Henan, Hebei, Yunnan, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, and more. Performances span numerous traditional theater styles, including Peking Opera, Kunqu, Qinqiang, Yu Opera, Qu Opera, Yue Tune, Jin Opera, Dian Opera, Wu Opera, Cantonese Opera, Lu Opera, Hangzhou Opera, Shao Opera, and Huaihai Opera. Many participating troupes are past winners of the Wenhua Award at the China Arts Festival or the Chinese Drama Award at the China Theater Festival. Lead roles are performed by several recipients of the prestigious Plum Blossom Award for Chinese Theater, such as Ouyang Kaiming, Li Dongqiao, Qiong Xia, Liang Sumei, Hao Shichao, and Hadan. With such high-caliber performances and an exceptional lineup, this event is highly anticipated.

Deepening cooperation for mutual benefit. The China-ASEAN (Nanning) Drama Week serves as a platform for fostering friendship and cultural exchange. Over the years, it has facilitated mutual learning and sharing among artists from different countries, showcasing the rich diversity and uniqueness of theater cultures across nations and regions. This has deepened the understanding of each other's cultural heritage and spirit, bringing the people of China and ASEAN closer together. The event has also inspired enduring friendships and driven further collaboration, creating a sustainable foundation for cultural exchanges.

Notably, the jointly established China-ASEAN Theater Cooperation and Exchange Mechanism has already welcomed 120 performing arts organizations from China and abroad, ensuring ongoing, normalized exchanges. This lays a strong foundation for deepening people-to-people connections and cultural integration between China and ASEAN.

During the opening ceremony, Zhang Ziying, a standing member of the Nanning Municipal Party Committee, delivered a speech. She highlighted Nanning’s status as the Chinese provincial capital closest to ASEAN countries and its efforts in recent years to develop the China-ASEAN (Nanning) Culture Month. Through a series of events such as Drama Week, Music Week, Poetry Week, Cultural Creativity Week, and Film Screenings, the city has welcomed over 1,600 domestic and international artists. Together, they’ve built friendships, explored collaborations, and discussed future development. Nanning, she said, is eager to work hand-in-hand with ASEAN nations to strengthen long-term mechanisms for theater exchange and cooperation, promote the creation of high-quality theatrical productions, foster talent development and collaboration, and deepen cultural exchange activities. These efforts aim to enrich the cultural fabric of the China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Datuk Saharuddin, Deputy Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, praised theater as a cultural treasure in both ASEAN and China. He expressed Malaysia’s enthusiasm for leveraging the platform of the China-ASEAN (Nanning) Drama Week to bring together more theater troupes from ASEAN and China. By sharing artistic resources and experiences, he hopes to explore broader and deeper collaborations in the field of drama while expanding channels for cultural and interpersonal exchanges.

That evening, over 20 foreign mainstream media outlets, Chinese-language media, and positive-energy online influencers participating in the Nanning Gateway, Infinite Opportunities 2024 international media event attended the opening performance of the Drama Week. They expressed their intention to use their platforms to share Nanning’s story of openness, delve into its cultural riches, and showcase how the “Nanning Gateway” continues to expand through the power of culture.