Xi'an arts festival kicks off on Thursday

The 11th Silk Road International Arts Festival will be held in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, from Thursday to Nov 9.

Thirty-four theatrical productions by art troupes from 79 countries and regions will be staged during the festival.

To open the festival, the Shaanxi National Orchestra will stage a concert at the Xi'an Performing Art Center on Thursday, featuring original Chinese music pieces.

To close the festival on Nov 9, a production of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot by the Shaanxi Opera House, gathering artists from both China and Italy, will be performed.

Highlights of the festival will include a concert by the Mariinsky Orchestra and conductor Valery Gergiev, Beneath the Red Banner, a Chinese play adapted from the Lao She novel of the same title, by the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and a concert titled Chinese Folk Song Map — Traveling with Folk Songs, by the China National Traditional Orchestra.

In addition to performing arts, the festival will feature art exhibitions by 18 international artists from various countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

First launched in 2014, the Silk Road International Arts Festival has held 10 editions, attracting artists from more than 120 countries and regions. Nearly 7,200 artists have staged 307 theatrical productions during the past editions of the festival.