On the evening of 29 November, dancers of the National Ballet of China (NBC) staged The Peony Pavilion, an original ballet, at the famous Sadler's Wells Theatre in London. The Chinese Ambassador to the UK H.E. Liu Xiaoming and Madam Hu Pinghua, accompanied by Minister Counsellor of the Cultural Section Xiang Xiaowei, watched the performance together with local British audience of more than 1500.

   Adapted by NBC from a famous Kunqu Opera of the same name by Tang Xianzu, The Peony Pavilion features artistic combination between western classical ballet and the music elements of Kunqu Opera. Amid dreamy shadows and lights, NBC artists presented the love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei: characterised by graceful yet tenacious humanism. The perfect match of western classical dancing and eastern music elements, the modern and aesthetic stage presentation and the artists' excellent performance gave the audience a multi-dimensional, all-round manner and unforgettable experience. The audience was deeply touched by the love story between a young man and a young woman that transcended life and death. The dancing was graceful, the facial expressions of the dancers were captivating, and melodious music was sweet. The thought-provoking curtain call brought melancholic tears to eyes both young and old.

   Ambassador Liu visited the cast after the performance and offered his congratulations. He said President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to the UK last year which marked the beginning of a "Golden Era" in China-UK relations. As 2016 is the 400th anniversary of the passing of Tang Xianzu and Shakespeare, President Xi called on both countries to jointly celebrate the two literary masters so as to promote the exchanges between the two peoples and enhance mutual understanding. As a concrete result of President Xi's visit to the UK, the tour of NBC's The Peony Pavilion is the final programme and a definite culmination in the serial celebration in the UK of the 400th anniversary of the passing of William Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu. It is certainly a special addition to the cultural exchanges between China and the UK in the "Golden Era".

   The UK is the first stop for NBC's tour across Europe. From 22 to 26 November, The Peony Pavilion was staged 7 times in Manchester, and would staged 6 times in London from 29 November to 3 December.