CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Monday, March 25, 2019 | 3 XI'S VISIT Striking a deal Chinese Xi urges effort opera to be staged to cement ties in Italy
By CHEN NAN with France [email protected] The original Chinese opera Marco Polo, based on the story of President wants two nations to advance the Venetian explorer who trav cooperation, jointly reject protectionism eled along the ancient Silk Road in the 13th century, will be staged in September at the Teatro Carlo By CAO DESHENG “We need to join hands to tackle Felice in Genoa, Italy, and then [email protected] challenges, promote global prosper go on tour in Italy. ity and stability and build a commu Composed and written in Chi China and France should work nity with a shared future for nese and performed by Western together to safeguard multilateral mankind,” he added. and Chinese singers, the work is ism and to cement their ties with the Xi expressed firm resolve to President Xi Jinping and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (both seated), witness the signing of the first original Chinese opera principles of independence, open expand China’s openingup and said a memorandum of understanding on joint construction of the Belt and Road between He Lifeng, produced by Guangzhou Opera ness, winwin inclusiveness, mutual the country’s door will continue to head of the National Development and Reform Commission, and Luigi Di Maio, Italian deputy prime House for the Silk Road Interna learning and a strong sense of open wider. minister, in Rome on Saturday. FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY tional League of Theaters, which responsibility, President Xi Jinping “I hope our two countries will was initiated by the China Arts said. continue to stand together to une and Entertainment Group in 2016. Xi made the remarks in a signed quivocally reject protectionism, The league — representing 107 article published in France’s Le Figa uphold an open world economy and members from 37 countries and ro daily newspaper on Saturday make economic globalization more regions — serves as a platform ahead of his state visit to France. open, inclusive, balanced and bene Monaco ballet’s Cinderella enchants for the performing arts and was Xi recalled his first state visit to ficial for all,” Xi said. set up to promote cultural the country five years ago and said He called on the two countries to By CHENG YUEZHU the characters are taken from a sto troupe of the Principality of Mona exchanges between China and he wants to use this trip to both “sow develop new areas of cooperation in [email protected] ry, but they are actually very real,” co. other countries. the seed of hope for future coopera such areas as agriculture and tech said Alessandra Tognoloni, a cast In the ballet company’s relatively Two of the league’s members tion” between the two countries and nological innovation, and to make In the fairy tale Cinderella, the member who dances the Cinderel short yet starstudded history, it are from Italy, Teatro Carlo Felice reap the fruits of “our growing rela greater headway in the cooperation main character is known for the la role. “The movements are con has established a close connection in Genoa and Teatro La Fenice in tionship over the past five years”. under the Belt and Road Initiative glass slipper she leaves behind, but sistent with what the character with China. It made its China Venice, said Li Jinsheng, presi The president said the China and in third markets, while deepen in Les Ballets de MonteCarlo’s wants to say, like how a normal debut in 2000 in Beijing and dent of the China Arts and Enter France relationship is full of vitality ing allaround cooperation in the production, she dances with her human being would be acting in a Shanghai with its production of tainment Group. and he expects their ties to grow fur traditional areas of nuclear energy, bare feet covered in glistening gold normal day.” Romeo and Juliet. “The process of making this ther. aviation, and aerospace. dust. Francesco Mariottini, who Ou Jianping, a dance critic and opera, Marco Polo, has been a “I find reasons for such expecta Xi welcomed the presence of When dancers from the Monaco dances as the prince, said: “In his scholar, described the varied sensa major effort of communication. tions from our past 55 years of French companies at the China Inter ballet company swept across China ballet, there is nothing too extreme tions he felt at its performances The Venetian explorer is seen as mutual support and winwin coop national Import Expo, the event recently, they managed to connect or too crazy. It’s actually very pure, over the years, ranging from a symbol of friendship,” Li said in eration, and more so from the great launched in Shanghai last November Monaco and China through anoth very normal.” “speechless” to “captivated”. Rome on Friday. potential and future prospects that to demonstrate China’s determina er golden trail, this time in the form Yet the production is not devoid This year is the fifth time that the Li announced the opera’s Ital our bilateral relations hold,” he add tion to expand openingup and share of cultural exchange. of the ethereal characteristics of ballet has performed at the Nation ian tour and signed an agree ed. development opportunities with the Les Ballets de MonteCarlo pre the original fairy tale. Apart from al Centre for the Performing Arts. ment for its Italian premiere this Xi noted he has built a good work rest of the world. sented Cendrillon (Cinderella) at the iconic conceptual “glass slip Cinderella was in fact staged at its September, with Giuseppe ing relationship with French Presi He said China wants to import the Shaanxi Opera House in Xi’an pers”, the staging features a giant very first NCPA performance, and Acquaviva, artistic director of dent Emmanuel Macron, and he more highquality French products on March 8 and 9 and at the Nation prop of white pages, as if the story the dancers said that the ballet is Teatro Carlo Felice. said the two nations have deepened and services to meet its people’s al Centre for the Performing Arts in is unfolding on an actual book. growing while staying true to the Kasper Holten, a Dane who mutual political trust, intensified growing needs for a better life. Beijing from March 14 to 16. The fairy that lifted Cinderella original. was director of opera at the Roy highlevel exchanges, and main China hopes more French compa The production was created by out of her sorrow and suffering is “The base is the same. The move al Opera House in London from tained highquality communication nies will choose to invest and do JeanChristophe Maillot, a French the incarnation of her late mother, ment, the story and the message he 2011 to 2017 and is currently vice and coordination in a wide range of business in China to share its devel choreographer and director of Les offering the prospect that the dead (Maillot) wants to show to the pub president of the European Acad fields. opment opportunities, Xi said. He Ballets de MonteCarlo, on music can still, in a way, protect the liv lic are the same,” Mariottini said. emy of Music Theatre, is Marco In an everchanging world of ris expressed the hope that Chinese that Russian composer Sergei ing. “But with every show or new danc Polo’s director. ing protectionism and unilateral businesses contribute more to Prokofiev wrote for the Cinderella It’s a fairy tale for adults and chil ers, somehow he would be inspired As it relates the story of Marco, ism, he said, China and France France’s economic and social devel story in 1943. dren, Tognoloni said, pointing out to change a few little things.” the opera also revolves around should work together to contribute opment. Maillot gives a neoclassical ren that the theme of love is universal Tognoloni and Mariottini have two other Italian adventurers, to multipolarity and greater democ This year marks the 55th anniver dering of the classic story, present and one that everybody can relate both performed a number of times Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, Marco’s racy in international relations. sary of the establishment of diplo ing it in a way that is closer to to. in China. “China is very open for father and uncle. It also portrays Xi also said as both countries are matic ties between China and modern life and everyday reality. The production, created in European dance companies, so a the romance between Marco and permanent members of the United France. The ballet begins with a clear 1999, is among Maillot’s 30 or so lot of the companies come here,” a young Chinese woman named Nations Security Council, China Those ties have become closer in contrast. At one end of the stage works for Les Ballets de Monte Mariottini said. Chuan Yun, as well as the rise hopes to strengthen coordination recent years with bilateral trade top sits Cinderella, holding her moth Carlo. He joined the company in A representative from Les Bal and fall of the Song and Yuan with France to safeguard multilater ping $60 billion last year. Over the er’s dress and weeping with grief, 1992 and was appointed as its lets de MonteCarlo said that the dynasties (9601368). alism and uphold the basic norms last five years alone, bilateral trade and at the other end a pas de deux head by Caroline, Princess of Han company is now cooperating even Marco Polo had its world pre governing international relations as has expanded by more than $13 bil portrays her fond memory of a lost over, in 1993. more closely with Chinese theaters miere at the Guangzhou Opera underpinned by the purposes and lion, and mutual investment loving family. Princess Caroline established and is planning to come to China House on May 4, 2018, with the principles of the UN Charter. increased by more than $20 billion. “I think in Maillot’s Cinderella, the company in 1985 as the official every year. Macao Symphony Orchestra per forming under the baton of Tang Muhai, one of China’s most acclaimed conductors. Hundreds of cultural relics to be returned Danish tenor Peter Lodahl sang the leading role. “I speak six languages and By WANG KAIHAO through judicial channels. An Ital pected the relics had been stolen have sung in 10 languages, but I [email protected] ian court made the final ruling on from archaeological sites. had never sung in Chinese,” said their repatriation this year. Alberto Bonisoli, the Italian min Lodahl, who was in Beijing when Nearly 800 Chinese cultural relics Wu Min, of the administration’s ister of cultural heritage and activi the opera was staged at Tianqiao that had been taken overseas will museum management department, ties, said in Rome that the return of Performing Arts Center from soon set off on their journey home. said work would start immediately the relics to Chinese people marked May 16 to 19 last year. “Then I In President Xi Jinping and Ital on arranging the details of how to a great occasion. He expected that decided to give it a try. And I’m ian Prime Minister Giuseppe Con transport the relics back to China. the National Museum of China in looking forward to singing in te’s presence, an intergovernmental The complete list of the 796 relics Beijing would hold an exhibition to more Chinese operas.” agreement in Rome on Saturday has yet to be released, but Wu said display the treasures. According to Li, the opera took gave the green light to the return of they “are of abundant variety and China has signed agreements and about three years to put together 796 artifacts to China. generally high value”. memorandums of understanding with a team of international art It will be the largestscale interna She also said that they were rela with 21 countries to cooperate in the ists. tional repatriation of lost Chinese tively wellpreserved and cover a fight against illicit international Among them was Munich cultural relics from overseas since wide spectrum of Chinese history trade in cultural properties and facil Alberto Bonisoli, Italian minister of cultural heritage and activities, based composer Enjott Schneider, 1998, when about 3,000 smuggled ranging from 5,000 years ago to the itate the return of stolen artifacts. A checks some of the Chinese cultural relics in Rome on Saturday that who wrote the music for the three artifacts were returned from the early 20th century. repatriation agreement was reached are to be returned to China. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY hour opera in 10 weeks. The libret United Kingdom. According to the administration, with the United States on Feb 28, to was written by Wei Jin, one of According to the National Cultural among the relics is a pottery jar from securing the return of over 360 arti the most influential poets in con Heritage Administration, the ancient today’s Gansu province that can be facts. ture and Tourism, the Cultural the National Museum of China and temporary Chinese literature. Chinese works of art, thought to have dated to the Majiayao culture, a Neo On the eve of his state visit to Italy, Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Palazzo Venezia in Rome to annual The composer combined tradi been illicitly exported, were found in lithic culture from the third millen Xi pointed out in an article he wrote Terraces in Yunnan province and in ly hold major exhibitions of cultural tional Chinese folk elements with a local market in 2007 by the Carabi nium BC. In addition, there are for Milan’s Corriere della Sera daily Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: relics from each other’s countries. Mongolian music and Western nieri Art Squad, an Italian police unit pottery figurines from the Han (206 newspaper that the importance of LangheRoero and Monferrato in In continuity of the good relation classical music. Chinese musical responsible for combating cultural BC to AD 220), Tang (618907) and closer ties between World Cultural northwest Italy will become such ship, 102 Renaissance and ancient instruments, including the erhu relicsrelated crimes. Ming (13681644) dynasties and a Heritage sites in the two countries sister sites, as will the West Lake Roman artworks from 17 Italian (a bowed twostringed instru Soon after, the administration porcelain bowl from the Song promotes understanding of differ Cultural Landscape in Hangzhou museums were exhibited in Bei ment), yangqin (a Chinese dulci contacted its Italian counterpart to Dynasty (9601279) from Fujian ent cultures and the world’s cultural and City of Verona in Italy. jing’s Capital Museum last year. mer) and bamboo flute, as well as start a long process of exploring the province. diversity. A fiveyear agreement (201317) khoomei (traditional Mongolian possibility of securing their return The Carabinieri Art Squad sus According to the Ministry of Cul between China and Italy enabled Xinhua contributed to this story. throatsinging), all can be heard set against the backdrop of the symphony orchestra. climate change, safeguard global During his Italy visit, Xi also had “Marco Polo is a sign for con governance and jointly uphold mul separate meetings with Italian necting cultures. Besides the sig Visit: Leaders endorse multilateralism tilateralism, Xi said. Chamber of Deputies member Rob nificance of composing Conte called Xi’s visit to Italy erto Fico and Italian Senate Presi completely for a Chinese opera, I From page 1 platform for international coopera should jointly uphold multilateral highly significant, and said it would dent Maria Elisabetta Alberti believe that the opera delivers tion while allaying concerns of some ism, promote free trade and cement bring the bilateral relationship to a Casellati, and pledged to strengthen something more, that is, love and “I expect the same thing to hap countries over the initiative. ties between China and the Europe higher level. legislative exchanges and coopera peace,” the composer said in Bei pen now (about the BRI),” he said. Former Italian Prime Minister an Union. He said Italy firmly supports mul tion between the two sides. jing in May. Sun Zhaolong, a researcher at the Romano Prodi also said in an inter The two countries should work tilateralism and free trade, and his Li said that China Arts and Academy of Contemporary China view with China News Service that together to promote free trade and country would like to enhance com Chen Weihua contributed to this Entertainment Group is prepar and World Studies, wrote in an arti Italy could be a protagonist in Belt facilitate investment, continue to munication and coordination with story. ing to launch a new, Chinese ver cle that Italy’s involvement in the and Road cooperation with China. enhance communication on major China to promote the healthy and sion of the opera Turandot, in BRI will play an exemplary role in During their talks, Xi and Conte global issues, help push reform of stable development of EUChina Contact the writers at cooperation with groups in Italy. attracting more countries to the also agreed that the two countries the World Trade Organization, fight relations. [email protected] Its premier is scheduled for 2020.