UNESCO facilitators experience magic of Kunqu Opera

Artists perform The Peony Pavilion: The Dream in the Garden to show the magic of Kunqu Opera to audiences. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Regarded as the "ancestor of Chinese opera", Kunqu Opera is a national treasure in China. It boasts gorgeous arias, elegant monologues, exquisite performances and ethereal dances. In the late Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the opera came into being in Suzhou city and was announced among the first group for the Oral and Intangible Culture Heritage list by UNESCO in 2001.

The training session was co-organized by the UNESCO and International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO and supported by the Zhejiang Department of Culture. As of June 2018, a total of 32 training sessions have been held, covering 33 countries and benefiting more than 1,027 people.