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A poster for Star ReturningPhoto: Courtesy of the organizers of the Daliangshan Theatre Festival

The ongoing 6th Daliangshan Theatre Festival 2024 in Xichang, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, brought a cultural feast to audiences over the weekend. Attracting around 100 productions from 11 countries, the festival, which officially kicked off on Friday, is set to end on November 17.

Themed "Connecting the World through Theatre," the festival will showcase plays from countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Iraq, Georgia, and Armenia.

Liangshan is home to China's largest Yi ethnic group community. This year's opening play, Star Returning, is a collaborative piece commissioned by the International Theatre Institute (ITI), China Theatre Association, Shanghai Theatre Academy, and Liangshan Culture and Tourism Group. 

The production invited Samoan artist and World Theatre Ambassador of the ITI Lemi Ponifasio, who worked alongside local Yi artists to create the work.

Tobias Biancone, the director-general of the ITI, revealed at the 5th Daliangshan Theatre Festival 2023 that he would invite Ponifasio to create the theatrical piece. 

"This work will not present a Western theme or use Western narrative structures; rather, it will be an art piece rooted in Chinese ethnic culture, created from a modern perspective," Biancone said.  

Biancone noted that Star Returning's creation is based on the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind and invites the audience to reflect on fundamental philosophical questions such as where we come from, where we are now, and where we are headed. 

All performers in the play come from Liangshan. Drawing from their cultural traditions of singing and dancing, life rituals and agricultural dances, the play also presents elements like Bimo, a shaman sacred ritual among the Yi people, and the Torch Festival, the most important celebration for the ethnic group.

Moreover, after opening the Daliangshan Theatre Festival, Star Returninghas been invited to perform during the opening of the Carthage Theatre Festival 2024 and is set to embark on a European tour in May 2025, organizers of the Daliangshan Theatre Festival told the Global Times.

Chen Zhongwen, a deputy director-general of the International Theatre Institute , told the Global Times on Sunday that ITI has always been committed to facilitating communication and exchanges in the performing arts, advocating for cultural diversity and inclusivity, and building a platform for global artists to connect and collaborate with each other.

Regarding the Daliangshan Theatre Festival as such a great platform, Chen added that artistic creation cannot exist without an audience. 

He noted that the unique charm of theater lies in its profound ability to heal, connect, and enhance understanding and that through their works, artists engage in a dialogue with the audience, who in turn find deeper emotional connections with themselves, with others, with nature, and with the world. 

"The impact of theater should go beyond providing a pleasurable sensory experience; it should be an opportunity to explore and re-examine oneself," Chen said. 

Incepted in 2019, the festival saw nearly 50,000 attendees in 2023, reflecting its growing popularity and impact. 

The festival also achieved an impressive level of media exposure, with over 5.26 billion views across online and offline platforms.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. [email protected]