China Focus marked the launch of its inaugural annual theatre showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe on Friday 4th August. This event kicked off the run of 7 top Chinese productions at the UK's famous theatre festival - for the first time, the Chinese government is bringing a masterful and diverse array of award-winning contemporary talent from East to West.

Key players from the China Focus programme converged in one of the country's creative capitals for this event, along with officials from the Chinese cultural sector, the Fringe, the Scottish government, and members of the press. Mr. Xiang Xiaowei, Minister Counsellor of Cultural Affairs Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the UK; Ms. Julia Amour, Director of Festivals Edinburgh; Ms. Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Festival Fringe Society; Mr. Li Ming, Vice President, China Shanghai International Arts Festival; and Mr. Zhao Miao, Director of Luocha Land, were among the guests attending the reception.

China Focus is Edinburgh Fringe Festival's celebration of excellence in Chinese theatre and dramatic production, with all of the high quality art performances supported by The Bureau for External Cultural Relations, Ministry of Culture, P. R. China. Each is a contemporary show that blends both China's traditional and its contemporary creative currents. Promoting Chinese heritage and cultural products among international markets, this year's showcase features the dramatic and audiovisual intrigue of Luocha Land, The Dreamer, China Goes Pop, The Boor, New City New Sound, Macbeth, and Treasure Trove of Shadow. Traditional Chinese opera, dance, acrobatics, shadow art, as well as modern jazz and pop music, fuse in a programme like nothing you've seen at this festival before.

(Above are the pictures of  Luocha Land, The Dreamer and China Goes Pop)

In 2018 and beyond, China Focus will continue to grow as a mainstay of Edinburgh Fringe's Chinese cultural showcase, bringing the most exciting, innovative, and weighty productions to the Fringe. The project will continue to blend and bridge the two increasingly diverse and innovative cultural melting pots in both the UK and China.