Young artists telling China's story

As an essential part of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival (CSIAF), the young talent program named R.A.W.! (Rising Artists' Work) has been held annually for four years. The program commissions young artists' works by inviting renowned artists in respective areas to coach the selected artists. Those works premiered in China and abroad. On Wednesday night, one of the R.A.W.! 2015 commissioned productions, Sever, by artist Zhu Ma, and his other work, a concert: All Rivers Run into the Sea was invited by Asia Society in New York to perform in New York. A third work, Papa's Time Machine, by Maleonn, a commissioned production of 2016 CSIAF, made its overseas debut. The production is part of ISPA's (International Society for Performing Arts) Pitch New Work session, in which 10 submissions are selected each year to be pitched to more than 400 performing arts professionals from more than 50 countries at ISPA's annual congress. The performance showcases Chinese traditional culture with a contemporary vision. All Rivers Run into the Sea chooses Peking Opera as its creative basis and integrates blues into the music. CSIAF is exploring its arts market overseas and introducing more and more Chinese stories to the world. HONG XIAO / CHINA DAILY