Swedish Crown Princess Victoria acclaimed the Chinese artists for their performance in a Swedish classic play of The Father during her visit to China Saturday night.

The performance of the second and third scenes of the Swedish playwright August Strindberg' work was specially designed for the princess at the Oriental Pioneer Theater, while the public show had been scheduled next month.

"It's great and wonderful!" Victoria said after the show, during which she smiled hearing the songs in Swedish.

Sweden was among the first western country that established diplomatic ties with China. At the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, Victoria arrived in Beijing for her first ever visit to China on September 18.

An important part of the visit will be to open a Sino-Swedish exhibition in the Forbidden City on September 26. The Crown Princess will also visit Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

The Father, by the famous Swedish playwright, writer and painter who revolutionized world drama with his realist and post-modern works, portrays a tragedy of Captain Adolf and his wife Laura struggling for the possession of their child.

Before the play began, Victoria conferred a medal to translator Li Zhiyi to express her thankfulness as Li introduced the works of Swedish authors and artists especially Strindberg and Astrid Lindgren to the Chinese people.

Zhao Lixin, a teacher with the Central Academy of Drama, directed and stared in both the play's China's debut in Shanghai in 2004 and the show for princess. Also as a director and actor with The Swedish National Theater Center, Zhao lived in Sweden for 14 yeas. He said he wants to create a stage with a Northern European atmosphere in accordance with the playwright's meaning.

"I tried my best to go close to the character who I acted with enough inner experiences and outer expressions," Zhao said.

As the ending activity of the "Strindberg in China 2005," the play is scheduled to be shown for 10 nights at the Beijing People's Art Theater since October 8.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2005)