The Avignon OFF Theatre Festival will be held from July 4th to 25th in the city of Avignon in southern France, where multiple Chinese works will be showcased. From Wang's Shadow Puppetry in Shaanxi and Huai in Cixian, Hebei to String Puppetry in Quanzhou, Fujian, to physical and experimental dramas that incorporate elements of artificial intelligence and digital imaging, Chinese works blend traditional heritage with contemporary vitality, becoming a unique artistic feast in the eyes of the audience.

At the Avignon Red throated Bird Theater, the Quanzhou String Puppetry Inheritance and Protection Center's "Ancient Art New Style Living Puppet" has been performed for several consecutive days, attracting many overseas fans. On the stage, dozens of criss crossing threads fly up and down freely in the hands of puppeteers, as if infused with life. Off stage, many audience members unconsciously lean forward, their gaze closely following the subtle movements and expressions of the puppet.

In the puppet show "Zhong Kui Drunken", Zhong Kui is pulled by silk thread and drinks heavily from a pot, fully displaying his drunken state. A sudden belch of alcohol makes the audience laugh uncontrollably; In 'Youth Dream', a female puppet undergoes multiple 'one second costume changes' within just a few minutes, completing a dream transformation from old age, middle age, to a young girl, causing the audience to be amazed.

Not only are puppets performing difficult movements, but puppeteers are also showcasing their skills. For a moment, you can't even distinguish whether you're applauding for the puppets or for the puppeteers, "French artist Marion told Xinhua News Agency after a performance. After learning that this intangible cultural heritage technique has been passed down for thousands of years and is still active on the Chinese stage, Marion exclaimed that China's protection of traditional art is particularly admirable.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Avignon OFF Theatre Festival. According to preliminary statistics from the organizing committee, there are over 1800 plays being performed intensively in more than 100 theaters in the city, including about 20 works from China. As far as I know, this year is one of the most diverse years for Chinese performances, "Harold Davide, executive director of the Avignon OFF Theatre Festival, told reporters.

Davide has visited China multiple times and was deeply impressed by the high quality and diversity of Chinese theatrical creation. Both traditional and contemporary Chinese theater works have a high artistic level, "he said. With the increase in the number of participating works, the diverse aspects and creative vitality of Chinese theater are being seen by the world through the stage of drama festivals.

Chinese traditional drama presented innovative ways of performance during the drama festival. The Huaidiao opera "N ü wa Mends the Sky" from Cixian, Hebei Province premiered in Avignon on the 23rd. The drama uses the local opera variety Cixian Huaidiao from Handan City, Hebei Province to interpret ancient Chinese mythology. While retaining traditional singing style and performance characteristics, it introduces a modern traveler character played by Yushu Robot to connect the plot and add modern narrative elements to the ancient mythology.

At the same time, Chinese young playwrights have brought their reflections on contemporary social development and people's living conditions to the Avignon stage. The physical drama "Unexpected Realm" brought by the San Tuoqi Theater Group explores the relationship between humans and technology in the context of the rapid development of artificial intelligence by portraying the interaction and competition between "digital humans" and humans.

Many European audiences' understanding of Chinese stage art remains at the level of traditional folk customs, "Davide said. Nowadays, China is rapidly developing in the fields of artificial intelligence and other scientific and technological innovations, and audiences are also interested in learning how Chinese artists express these global concerns on stage.

From the threads fluttering in the hands of puppeteers to the stage imagery outlined by digital technology, the persistence and innovation of Chinese theater professionals are allowing more audiences to see the present and future of Chinese theater. (Outlook  New Era )