Chinese National Peking Opera Company Presents Various Artistic Schools and Styles to Bulgarian Audience in Debut Performance

Petya Petrova, Dahnyelle Dymytrov

BTA Photo/Vladimir Shokov

Sofia,

07.02.2026 10:14

(BTA)

The Chinese National Peking Opera Company had its debut performance in Bulgaria. The event, held in celebration of the Chinese New Year, took place at the National Palace of Culture (NDK) convention centre on Friday evening.

The company is visiting with a large ensemble, led by its president, Wang Yong. The Bulgarian programme will feature classical arias and excerpts showcasing different artistic schools and performance styles of Peking Opera. These include the Mei, Shang, Cheng, and Xun schools, which embody the richness of the female “dan” roles, as well as the Qiu school - the highest expression of the “jing” art, the masked male characters.

“The selected excerpts are the essence of Peking Opera; each of them carries rich artistic value and cultural symbolism,” explained Wang Yong. According to him, the poetics and symbolic expression of Peking Opera present universal human emotions and shared wisdom in a unique way.

Among honorary guests were Constitutional Court judge, Yanaki Stoilov, Tsoncho Ganev, and Radostin Vasilev, Deputy Chairs of the National Assembly, Wang Min, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria.

Host Andronika Martonova from the Institute for Art Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences read a congratulatory message from President Iliana Yotova.

"Since the very first visit of a Chinese art company to Bulgaria in 1952, traditional Chinese opera has become an important cultural bridge between our peoples, bearing witness to the deep friendship and mutual cultural enrichment between our civilizations. The National Peking Opera Theatre, a leading institution in this field in China, today presents its first independent performance in Bulgaria in 70 years," said Wang Min.

Wang Yong added that the company specifically chose to come to Bulgaria for the most important holiday for the Chinese: "The idea of this performance is to give my friends here a true sense of the Chinese New Year atmosphere, but also to express how much we value the deep friendship between China and Bulgaria," he said.

The visit to Bulgaria takes place on the occasion of the Spring Festival, known as Chinese New Year, and is part of the international cultural initiatives of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism – “Happy Chinese New Year” and “Hello, China!”. The event is carried out with the support of Bulgarian and Chinese institutions. The tour in Bulgaria includes two performances; on 9 February, the artists will perform in Plovdiv.

/PP/