Shanghai, China

This programme is set up and developed by The Festival Academy and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival. For 2017, this program is supported by the European Commission through the newly set up Cultural Diplomacy Platform and by the Ministry of Culture of China.

The host: China Shanghai International Arts Festival

The China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF) is a state-level annual international arts festival hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and undertaken by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government. Since 1999, more than 1000 units including arts festivals, theatres, agencies, performing groups and professionals from about 100 countries and regions have attended the China Shanghai International Arts Festival becoming a flagship project for cultural exchange of the country as well as one of the most influential festivals in the international art circles. 

The City: Shanghai

With almost 25.000.000 citizens, Shanghai is the most important economic, financial and cultural centre in East China. The city which started to flourish in the 19th century, is characterised by a harmonized alternation of the modern and the traditional, the western and the oriental, with new skyscrapers and old shikumen together drawing the skyline of the city. For this reason, Shanghai is commonly defined as the city where east meets west in China.