The 5th Chinese College Students' Drama Festival will open on Aug. 6, with students from 40 universities and colleges in 16 Chinese provinces and municipalities performing 50 plays in three major cities, Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou.

From Aug. 6, five major theaters in Beijing will stage 20 plays performed by students in 15 universities and colleges from eight provinces and municipalities, said Yuan Hong, a chief organizer with the Beijing North Theater at a press conference held over weekend.

The performance in Chengdu and Guangzhou will be kicked off on Aug. 12 and Aug. 16, respectively.

Yuan said the plays given by Chinese college students have been improving in recent years, with the playwrights showing more imagination, expression more diversified, and the actors' performing skills more mature when performing the classics by great masters like Jean-Paul Sartre and Johan August Strindberg.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2005)