On the evening of February 25th, at Warner Theatre in Washington DC, the American Troupe of “Festival of Spring” completed the final performance of its global tour. China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, a subsidiary of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, put together the show of “Festival of Spring.” The presenters included the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. The former is also an office under the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department; the latter is a liaison organization between the CCP and the overseas Chinese community.
For the season of 2019, six troupes of the “Festival of Spring” program were reported to have travelled to 29 cities in 16 countries with 33 shows, including Medan (of Indonesia), Barcelona, New York, Nairobi, Suva (of Fiji), Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.
According to People’s Daily, since 2009, the program of “Festival of Spring” has toured overseas every year during Chinese New Year holiday season. So far, it has dispatched 75 arts groups and done 450 performances in 331 cities across five continents, with nearly 7 million theater or public square audience members.
Tang Cuiying, head of the American Troupe of “Festival of Spring” and a board member of the China Overseas Friendship Association, a CCP led United Front Work organization, stated, “The overseas performances are to bring the blessings and greetings from the homeland to the overseas Chinese, so that they can enjoy the melodies and love from the homeland in an atmosphere of reunion and happiness.” Tang is also an official at the Bureau of Overseas Chinese Affairs under the CCP’s United Front Work Department.
Source: People’s Daily, March 1, 2019
http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2019-03/01/nw.D110000renmrb_20190301_2-20.htm