This summer will mark 8 years since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, an event capping years of economic development in China that saw it rise in the world stage and showcase its ability to stage major events. Its opening ceremony was a technical and artistic masterpiece.In the years since, performing arts in the country have been developing quietly. Contemporary dance groups like Living Dance Studio and BeijingDance/LDTX led by Willy Tsao, and have made names for themselves in Beijing, along with the Modern Dance Company in Guangdong. Shanghai and Beijing have become centres for modern music, with Mandarin Hip-Hop and rap competing for the ears of youth against the pop produced in Hong Kong and Taiwan.With the country predicted to have the largest movie market in the world within the next few years, the film industry has been growing too. By 2010 China became the third largest film producer in terms of number of films, with 5 of the top 10 highest grossing productions being domestic movies, including “The Mermaid” by Stephen Chow, now the most successful film ever in the territory.So where can visitors best sample all these arts? Here ARTINFO picks our four favorite festivals coming up this spring and summer in China, to get a taste of the best of performing arts in the country:Shanghai International Film Festival: June 11 – 19Soon this event will be a teenager no more and enter full adulthood – this year’s SIFF is the 19th edition, and the festival is increasingly competing against rivals in Hong Kong, Busan and Tokyo as the most essential film festival in the region. It’s been attracting major names in world cinema for years, the 2015 edition featured Golden Globe and Cannes award-winning Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev as Jury President, and this year the role will be held by Serbian director Emir Kusturica, winner at all three of Cannes, Berlin and Venice Film Festival for works like “Undergound” and “Black Cat White Cat.”Along with the “Golden Goblet” Awards for best film, director, actor/actress, and a Special Jury Award, the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival features the first Jackie Chan Action Movie Week will be launched this year with screenings of both Chinese and foreign action movies.Strawberry Music Festival: Beijing & Shanghai, April 30 – May 2“The world is virtual, you are the reality” is the theme of the 2016 edition of the Strawberry Music Festival, which has established itself as the leading music festival in China. Begun in 2007 by Shen Lihui as Modern Sky, the event was renamed in 2009 and features leading Chinese rock acts alongside notable international bands.Strawberry actually tours the country. Having started in Beijing in 2010 it expanded to Xi’an and Shanghai, and is now held in over a dozen cities. Shanghai’s edition typically attracts 100,000 to the Expo Park, but with 150,000 expected in Beijing, this year a ten-thousand square meter tent area will be created for campers. Previous big names have included local act New Pants, as well as Dinosaur Jr, Carly Rae Jepsen and Tricky, with this year’s line-up due to be announced at the end fo March.Chinese Opera Festival: Beijing, June 17 – August 14Chinese opera is perhaps the most unique performing art form in China, with a long history thought to date back as far as the 4th Century. It’s also designated a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.The Chinese Opera Festival in Beijing is a mere seven years old but by bringing together operas from different eras and regions of China, it offers an opportunity for guests to experience stories from villages to palaces, and styles from traditional to new and innovative. Last year’s edition featured the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe performing “Farewell My Concubine,” with the Peking Opera Theatre of Beijing and a new Cantonese Opera also presented. This year’s line-up is due to be announced soon.Beijing Dance Festival: July 14-26The Beijing Dance Festival has been designed as part festival part dance camp for young performers, with seven days for the former (July 14-21) followed by the five-day event (July 22-26). Now in its 9th edition, the festival is looking build upon the success of troupes like Ma Bo and BeijingDance/LDTX, Guangdong Modern Dance Company (GMDC) and Hong Kong’s City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), to establish China as a hub for international collaboration.Last year’s edition by Program Director Karen Cheung featured 145 dance artists, nearly 200 dance students and over 5,500 attendees from cities across China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as North & Central America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Enrolment opened March 16 for the Dance Camp.
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