What are the company's big plans for the near future?

Li Jinsheng: Even though CAEG had to slow down and put some of its big projects on hold due to the outbreak last year, it has already churned out a dozen productions in 2020 which were not only popular but also critically acclaimed.

Among the most eye-catching are the original opera piece Marco Polo, the original musical The Ferrymen of Souls, three stage plays adapted from novels by Wang Meng, Liang Xiaosheng and Ma Boyong, a modern drama telling the story of Chinese respiratory disease expert Zhong Nanshan, and the original Chinese musical Turandot.

As the overall public health situation is turning for the better, we've already set in motion our big plans for both international and home grounds for the coming five years.

For instance, CAEG will hold global tours of the newly-crafted original Chinese musical Turandot through its nationwide theater chains, and also through the Silk Road International League of Theatres -- an alliance of 107 large theaters and culture and art institutions for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

In 2021, CAEG will continue to play an active role in co-organizing cultural and tourism years for countries with friendly ties with China. Also, it will contribute to cultural and tourism sectors of the fourth International Import Expo to be held later this year in Shanghai.

Finally, CAEG will hold large-scale exhibitions of traditional Chinese arts in Mexico and Russia, and will stage an exhibition tour of selected ink works by modern master painter Qi Baishi in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiatives in the coming months.