China has selected 30 stage performances from 166 candidates to compete for the top 10 performances of this year, according to an official with the Ministry of Culture.
Feng Yuan, director of the arts department of the ministry, said at a press conference Friday that the 30 candidates include Peking operas, local dramas, operas, musicals and dance and acrobatic shows.
"The 30 performances have been entered in the final competition which will end in the middle of October," Feng said, adding that the pieces will be performed in Beijing during the final phrase.
The ministry plans to unveil a total 50 such stage performances in five years with an annual investment of 40 million yuan (US$4.8 million), Feng said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 11, 2003)
