China's beauty queen diplomat to light up arts fest

A new dance drama about Wang Zhaojun, a former ambassador between Han Chinese and the kingdom of Xiongnu, who was famed for her legendary beauty, will open the 11th Shanghai International Art Festival tomorrow.

The play, simply called "Wang Zhaojun", focuses on her life as an imperial concubine and her subsequent marriage to the Xiongnu king as a peace offering. Centuries ago, the Xiongnu, now a minority ethnic group in China's north, had successfully invaded the territory that today stands as China's Inner Mongolia region, and threatened the Han Dynasty's northern border.

The play, which will be performed at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, boasts high production values courtesy of a massive 9 million yuan ($1.3 million) investment from the central government. In light of recent disturbances within its own borders, China is now pushing to promote historical episodes focusing on conflict resolution, especially among different nationalities and ethnicities.