Combination photo taken on Oct 12, 2016 by Zhou Mi (L) shows the tomb of Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu in Fuzhou of East China's Jiangxi province, and taken on March 24, 2015 by Han Yan (R) shows the tomb of British writer William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, Britain. This year marks the 400th anniversary of the passing of the two literary giants from East and West respectively. [Photo/Xinhua]

Four hundred years ago, when William Shakespeare was writing his sonnets with a quill, Tang Xianzu was recording verses with a brush nearly 6,000 kilometers away.

Four hundred years later, to commemorate these literary giants from East and West, plays by both have been staged together in eastern China's Fuzhou city, Tang's hometown.

"They were in the same contemporary period," said Juliet Short, mayor of Shakespeare's hometown Stratford-upon-Avon. "They are very similar, in different aspects, even though they lived in totally different cultures."

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare and Tang. China and Britain have been hosting a series of events to commemorate the anniversaries.

On Saturday, Tang's date of birth, a three-day festival was launched in Jiangxi province, where people can pay tribute to Tang, open a memorial for him, put on drama performances and hold seminars.