Theater festival stages a comeback

"Wuzhen Theater Festival is very diversified. It can amplify your emotions and give you a special kind of artistic freedom," Meng says. "You can swim freely in the endless ocean of your own imagination. Such a theater festival is not only professional, international and contemporary, but also individualized."

The festival has set up for the first time a Best of World Theater section, with classic performances from major international theater festivals screened in Wuzhen's Canal Side Theater.

"Coming to the eighth edition of the festival, we have established strong connections with many international theater festivals. Despite the fact that international artists cannot come and perform, we still want our audience to be able to experience, and welcome them to come here if things go well next year," Lai says.

The festival again included the Emerging Theater Artists' Competition, which received a record high of more than 500 entries this year. It also has the Wuzhen Dialogues, featuring panel talks, workshops and read-through sessions, the Outdoor Carnival, and a Theater Night Market that enriches the visitor experience with music, film, art and food.