Press Release for Media Briefing of the Shanghai Municipal Government on September 29, 2026

2026.09.29

On the afternoon of September 29, the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality held a press briefing for the 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival. Zhao Yong, director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, introduced the overall program and arrangements for this year’s festival. Kong Lun, deputy director of the Bureau of International Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Meng Qingyuan, deputy Party secretary of the CPC Qingpu District Committee; Zhang Guoyong, chairman of the Chinese Musicians Association; and Li Ming, president of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival Center, also attended the press briefing and answered questions from reporters. Since its launch in 1999, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival has grown through 24 editions into a major platform for cultural exchange between Shanghai and the world. Upholding its founding mission of making the festival “a grand celebration of the arts and a festival for the people,” it has become an important bridge for two-way cultural exchange and dialogue between Chinese and international artists. The 25th China Shanghai International Arts Festival will run from October 17 to November 15, featuring nearly 400 performances, exhibitions and other events across eight major programs: stage performances, young artists support initiatives, public activities, arts education, performing arts conference, international dialogues, citywide events, and integration and innovation. The festival will offer nearly 1,100 events in total, bringing together artists and cultural organizations from around the world. October will also see three major milestones in Shanghai’s cultural calendar: the opening of the festival, the opening of the Shanghai Grand Opera House, and the establishment of the Shanghai Performing Arts Group.This year’s festival will focus on bringing together world-class artists and productions, giving original works a stronger platform and creating closer links across the global arts ecosystem.Positioning Shanghai as a preferred destination for world and Asia premieres, bringing the best of global performing arts to the city first. The “Arts for All” program will feature 60 productions and 170 performances, with nearly 90 percent making their Shanghai premieres. Thirteen productions will be exclusive to Shanghai in China. The opening and closing programs will continue the festival’s “one Chinese, one international” format. The festival will open with Shanghai Grand Opera House and Friends, also marking the opening concert of the Shanghai Grand Opera House, followed by the American Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake. The festival will also bring together two complete cycles of works by Shostakovich and Beethoven, three major operas — Aida, Tosca and Der Rosenkavalier — and four leading international pianists, including Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Bruce Liu and Jean-Jacques Kantorow. With international artistic resources meeting Shanghai’s own programming expertise, the festival will bring a stellar lineup of performances to the city.Creating a showcase for original works, where contemporary classics can take on new life during the festival. This year’s festival will feature a series of productions created in collaboration with Shanghai arts organizations around major themes of the times, including the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March. As part of the three-year action plan for revitalizing drama (2026-2028), the festival will present original works rooted in China’s rich cultural heritage, including Chu River and Han Border and The Incorruptible Magistrate Liu Luoguo. It will also showcase new Chinese interpretations of international classics, including Hamlet and The Government Inspector. Together, these productions will bring China’s cultural heritage and contemporary voices to the stage, highlighting the vitality of both tradition and innovation in Shanghai.Building a global hub for arts resources, positioning Shanghai as a key meeting place for leading international performing arts. The festival will leverage its strengths in international exchange, arts trading and talent development, using the International Performing Arts Conference to expand cultural and arts transactions and further promote its Young Artists Support Program. It will also make greater use of the Silk Road International Arts Festival Alliance to strengthen multilateral cooperation and build a broader network of partnerships guided by the “Shanghai Consensus.” Through these efforts, cultural exchange and cultural trade will reinforce each other, connecting Shanghai’s arts scene with audiences, artists and cultural organizations around the world.This year’s festival will continue to put people at the heart of its programming, bringing the arts closer to everyday life and enriching Shanghai’s cultural landscape.A citywide “water, land and air” performing arts program will expand access to public culture. The program will feature more than 80 high-quality performances staged across the city’s public spaces. “Water” programs will include the Qingpu Waterfront Music Season and Suhe Bay concerts; “air” programs will include a Spanish aerial music-and-dance production on Fuxing Island; and “land” programs will include the Shanghai City Lawn Concerts and other outdoor performances. The festival will also offer 6,500 discounted tickets at an average of half price, making the arts more accessible to the public.A multidimensional arts education program will bring greater exposure to the arts. More than 90 arts education activities will be held on and around school campuses. The festival will also feature four popular programs for the public: Shanghai International Magic Week, Shanghai International Puppet Art Week, Jazz Shanghai Music Week, and the Belt and Road Traditional Performing Arts Week, offering audiences more opportunities to experience different art forms.Greater regional coordination will strengthen cultural links across the Yangtze River Delta. The festival will continue to serve as a regional cultural platform, with satellite venues in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces hosting more than 180 performances and other cross-regional events, further promoting cultural exchange and collaboration across the Yangtze River Delta.This year’s festival will also seek to stimulate cultural consumption and strengthen Shanghai’s profile as an international cultural and tourism destination.Leveraging digital innovation to create new consumption scenarios. The festival will explore new forms of “art + technology,” including the launch of the new “X-TRA” brand and Terra Nova, a digital art project featuring AI-generated art and cross-media game and video installations. Online and offline services will also be better connected to provide consumers with more convenient and diverse options.Using the “ticket stub economy” to generate more consumer spending. More than 400,000 tickets for festival performances and events will support partnerships with 46 commercial complexes and around 1,000 businesses, nearly triple the number involved last year. The festival will also launch the Citywide Arts Festival Guide, linking dining, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment and education services for residents and visitors through both online and offline channels.Expanding cross-sector partnerships to strengthen Shanghai’s city brand. Targeting the night-time, youth and silver economies, the festival will develop a range of “art +” products, including co-branded dining and culture-and-tourism packages. It will also work with national tourism promotion platforms, international-facing media platforms and leading internet platforms to expand the festival’s global reach and help position Shanghai as a leading gateway for inbound tourism to China.Across 25 editions, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival has continued to bring people together through the arts, connecting Shanghai with artists, audiences and friends from around the world and creating the unique allure of traveling to a city for a single performance. This autumn, we look forward to welcoming artists and guests from near and far to Shanghai for another celebration of the arts.