Thirty diplomats from (variety) countries, including Azerbaijan, Brazil, Pakistan, Spain and
Indonesia, along with their spouses (配偶), were invited (experience) Peking Opera at Tianleyuan
Theater in Beijing on Monday.
The diplomats were introduced the ancient art form and got to try on Peking Opera costumes and makeup, as well as watch performances.
The event, title is New Year's Experience Journey to Peking Opera for Diplomatic Missions in China, is part of the Taihu World Cultural Forum, a nonofficial platform created by China for international cultural exchanges.
"Peking Opera embodies the essence of Chinese traditional culture," Zheng Chuanxin, secretary-general of the forum, says in a video greeting to the diplomats.
The forum, (launch) in 2008, was named after Taihu Lake in the Yangtze River Delta. Since its beginning, the forum has (successful) held six conferences in Suzhou in Jiangsu province, Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, Shanghai, Macao, Beijing and Bengbu in Anhui province, respectively.
The forum has attracted hundreds of politicians, scholars, entrepreneurs and cultural notables from more than 80 countries and regions to (deep) mutual understanding among cultures and share ideas.
The gray-brick Tianleyuan Theater is located in capital's Qianmen area, a popular tourist spot. The theater has a history of more than 200 years and reopened in March 2019, after six years of renovation and careful (decorate).
Both Mei Lanfang and Cheng Yanqiu were known for their playing female characters in Peking Opera pieces, because, at the time, women (forbid) to appear on stage.
