Colorful art & cultural events

Reina, an eight-year-old German girl, watched Chinese Kunqu Opera "Floating Dream" in Berlin with her father on November 27.

Though Reina knew nothing about Kunqu Opera and couldn't speak Chinese, she still appreciated the wonderful performances of the actors.

"I thought their singing skills are very intriguing and their movements are also very interesting. It's quite different from what I had imagined before," she said.

The performers came from Suzhou where Kunqu originated more than 600 years ago. The performance was a hugely popular event, having sold out all 400 tickets two weeks in advance.

Gabriele Minz, the organizer, said: "The Kunqu Opera 'Floating Dream' has been staged in Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Berlin, and it will then go to Munich. The show was a great success and it impressed local audiences and media quite a lot."

"People in Germany are becoming more and more interested in China. I hope I can bring more performances with Chinese characteristics to Germany," she said.

Wu Hongbo, Chinese Ambassador to Germany, said: "The fact that a Chinese opera could generate so much repercussion on distant shores shows that culture is a communication through the mind, and it sometimes does not need language to help."