Chinese opera with echoes of "Romeo and Juliet" enthralls Tunisia's acclaimed theater festival

TUNIS, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- A classic love story written during China's fabled Ming Dynasty and often likened to Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" regaled the audience in Tunis, capital of Tunisia, Thursday, performed as one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera.

"The Peony Pavilion", Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu's tale of a young couple's pursuit of love and freedom that has been translated into major European languages, was staged as a Kunqu Opera at the 19th Carthage Theater Days festival.

Kunqu, with a history of more than 600 years, was listed by UNESCO as a masterpiece of oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2001.

A troupe from the Suzhou Kunqu Opera Theater of east China's Jiangsu Province presented the opera.

"Traditional Chinese opera has strong visual effects and dynamic performances. The Tunisian audience fully accepted our performance today," said Lv Fuhai, a senior member of the theater. "We hope we can conduct more of such cultural exchanges in the future."

"The Peony Pavilion", part of a famous quartet by Tang Xianzu, was written in the 16th century. Enditem