On October 17th, the 24th China Shanghai International Art Festival kicked off. Over the course of more than a month, more than 500 performances and exhibitions will be held, totaling over 1200 events. An art festival that attracts high-quality performing arts resources from around the world, with renowned works from both China and abroad gathered on the Shanghai stage. An art festival brings a beautiful cultural life to the people, and citizens can appreciate the charm of famous artists and groups at their doorstep. The Shanghai International Art Festival in China has become an important platform for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries, vividly showcasing the diversity of culture through communication. On the evening of October 17th, the "Taihe Zhengyin - Collection of Kunqu Opera from the Palace Museum" (Season 1), produced by the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe and the Palace Museum, was staged at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, kicking off the 24th China Shanghai International Art Festival. The China Shanghai International Art Festival, hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and organized by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, has attracted over 800 art groups and more than 66000 artists from more than 80 countries and regions since 1999. It directly covers more than 80 million Chinese and foreign audiences and has become an important platform for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries. The 24th China Shanghai International Art Festival will be held from October 17th to November 27th, attracting high-quality performing arts resources from around the world. Over the course of more than a month, more than 500 performances and exhibitions will be held, totaling over 1200 events. World renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Dresden State Orchestra, and Stuttgart Ballet have arrived as scheduled; Famous Chinese and foreign works such as the play "White Deer Plain", the concert "Poetry in China", and the 1978 remake of Pina Bosh's "Communication Field: Echoes 1978" gathered on the Shanghai stage... The mature festival mechanism, rich platform levels, and solid audience base make the Shanghai International Art Festival in China highly attractive to high-quality performing arts resources worldwide. At this year's art festival, out of the 129 performances on 55 main boards, overseas projects accounted for about 60%, and the premiere rate in Shanghai exceeded 90%. At the opening and closing ceremonies, performances will be held at one school and one foreign school, featuring the Kunqu opera "Taihe Zhengyin - Collection of Kunqu Opera from the Palace Museum" (Season 1), a concert by Daniel Hardin and the St. Cecilia Orchestra, and a dialogue between Chinese and Western cultures across the air. We hope to showcase the timeless artistic charm of Chinese culture through the Kunqu Opera productions we bring to this international performing arts' big dock 'at the art festival. ”Gu Haohao, the head of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, expressed his concern. International renowned orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Dresden State Orchestra, and Berlin Theatre Group will bring exciting planning such as the "Complete Works Series" and "Shanghai Exclusive", creating a new highland for global resource gathering in the performing arts industry. The motherboard performance contains both "gold" and "new" elements. International conductor Gergiev teamed up with the Mariinsky Symphony Orchestra to complete the interpretation of Mahler's complete symphonies within 5 days. The Bavarian State Opera brings a 6-day opera carnival with its entire team. Five major operas, including White Deer Plain, performed by Shaanxi People's Art Theatre in Shanghai, stage play Fanhua in the final season, Pingtan Wonton with Vegetable and Meat, ballet Lily, original masterpieces, such as national opera Tongxin Tie and dance drama Wang Yangming, are rooted in the traditional culture of Chinese excellence or drawn from real life, presenting a new artistic atmosphere of excellent works competing for beauty. This year, the art festival will continue to set up sub venues in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and other places, while holding the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural Week, presenting 14 performances on 7 platforms including the large-scale new costume Cantonese opera "Double Embroidered Fate" by Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Theatre, as well as various activities such as exhibitions, intangible cultural heritage displays, and art education, deepening cultural exchanges and cooperation. Li Ming, Executive Deputy Secretary General of the Organizing Committee of the 24th Shanghai International Art Festival and President of the Art Festival Center, stated that the festival adheres to the principle of "content is king". "The platform, influence, favorability, and attractiveness of the Shanghai International Art Festival are constantly being enhanced on the international stage, and the supply of high-quality programs is fundamental." Culture benefits the people, art performances are embedded in urban public spaces, and the festival adheres to the purpose of "a grand event of art and a festival for the people". The festival strives to implement the concept of "people's city", promote the "overflow" of high-quality performing arts resources, and promote the linkage of the whole city and the whole region, creating a "artistic magnetic field" with art throughout the city. The national intangible cultural heritage projects Guangdong Xingshi and Puning Yingge have made their debut in a commercial complex positioned as "youthful power"; The French opera Romeo and Juliet enters the century old Sinan Mansion; The Zhangjiajie (International) Philharmonic Orchestra and the "Golden Magnolia" Shanghai International Puppet Art Week showcase their masterpieces on Nanjing Road, known as the "First Commercial Street of China"... This is a glimpse of the "Art Sky" public welfare activity of this year's art festival. Art coexists with the commercial district and resonates with the city - "Art Sky" continues to innovate its performance forms, creating a "theater without walls", embedding artistic resources into public spaces of all sizes throughout the city, allowing citizens to witness the charm of famous artists and groups at their doorstep. On the evening of October 16th, at the Urban Lawn Music Square in Huangpu District, Shanghai, the "Art Sea Qin Style" performance interpreted ethnic intangible cultural heritage with international artistic language and played the ancient charm of the Three Qin Dynasties. With the official opening of the 2025 Shanghai Urban Lawn Concert "Autumn Charm", 19 artist teams from 30 countries and regions will gather on the Yin Yin Yin Lawn in front of the Shanghai Concert Hall, bringing 16 performances of opera, symphony, jazz, Chinese music, etc. Citizens can "make free reservations and enter with tickets". During this year's art festival, the "Art Sky" benefit event will be held in various public spaces in Shanghai, with a total of 60 platforms and over 90 events. Nearly 2000 artists from more than 30 countries and regions will actively participate on stage, making the beautiful life more vibrant. Huangpu District highlights music themes, Putuo District focuses on parent-child programs, Qingpu District holds the Waterfront Music Festival, and the art festival also collaborates with Jing'an District to hold an outdoor symphony concert at the Shanghai Exhibition Center Outdoor Fountain Square for the third consecutive year, creating a cultural tourism integration brand project. Draw a new picture of shared social aesthetic education with care. The art education section of the art festival will hold 33 events and over 80 art education activities, using brand activities such as "Student Drama Exhibition Group", "Art in Campus", and "Youth Drama Performance" to achieve organic linkage between resource aggregation, talent cultivation, and international exchange, and build a high-quality aesthetic education platform. Expand the "new field" of cultural consumption to benefit the people. This year's art festival will sell over 6000 half price tickets for the benefit of the people, effectively lowering the threshold for citizens to participate and enhancing their sense of cultural gain and happiness. Breaking through boundaries and integrating, transforming art traffic into incremental consumption. The art festival explores "art+" breaking through boundaries and integrating content, scenes, and experiences, attracting global audiences to "cross mountains and rivers, and head to Shanghai for love". The cultural and tourism industry has become an important component of improved consumption. Jin Lei, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, introduced that this year's art festival will deepen the integration and innovation of "cultural tourism+hundred industries, and hundred industries+cultural tourism" around the theme of "transforming art flow into consumption increment", and launch a series of new creative ideas for cultural tourism business exhibition linkage. Activate consumer momentum with the "debut performance". Shanghai is not only a gathering place for the essence of global performing arts, but also an important stage for the Asian and Chinese premieres of top international art groups. This enriches the high-quality cultural supply for citizens and also becomes a traffic entry point to attract consumption. Extend the consumption scenario with the "ticket economy". It launched "performance+tourism" and "information+discount" services in conjunction with the Internet head platform to create an attractive "combination of accommodation consumption" and achieve the integration of "fireworks and poetry" in urban life. Through the linkage of the China International Import Expo, Shanghai Tourism Festival, and other events, we attract audiences from home and abroad to experience the golden autumn art concentration of this city in an immersive way through "joint linkage" and "exhibition tickets". Promote consumption transformation through the "cultural tourism economy". The festival, together with the Internet head platform, provides a one-stop cultural and tourism package of "performance tickets+hotels+scenic spots"; Joint Railway Shanghai Station will create dedicated trains for sub venues to achieve mutual passenger flow between Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta region; Cooperating with Air China to promote "aviation+entertainment" three-dimensional marketing, the consumption effect of "going to a city for one festival" is becoming increasingly prominent. The art festival simultaneously links exhibition brands to create a paradigm of artistic life. Exhibitions such as the Guangdong Art Centennial Exhibition and the 18th Shanghai Youth Art Exhibition will be held at city landmarks such as the Shanghai Art Museum, Liu Haisu Art Museum, Shanghai Haipai Art Museum, and Shanghai Exhibition Center, making "watching art exhibitions, cultural museums, and appreciating good dramas" the top choice for the quality of Shanghai's cultural tourism. Activating the deep driving force for the integrated development of cultural, tourism, commercial, and sports exhibitions also includes a continuous artistic creation ecology for health preservation. The "Youth Support Program" of the art festival is composed of 21 artists from 7 countries and regions, forming a new art committee. It has attracted 226 works from 19 countries and regions to apply, and will launch 9 stage and visual art works, as well as the first technology integration category, interpreting the artistic exploration of young artists breaking through boundaries. The new brand "ARTRA Custom Art" for the art festival focuses on new audiences, new venues, and new futures, and will launch a series of integrated creations. In the performance of blending ancient and modern, and mutual learning between China and foreign countries, one can experience the profoundness and contemporary charm of Chinese culture, and witness the prosperous scene of the literary and artistic "Hundred Flowers Garden". Looking forward to more exciting performances at the Shanghai International Art Festival in China. (New Society)