China's top legislator Zhao Leji on Wednesday met with members of the Board of Directors and senior advisors of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in Boao, south China's Hainan Province.
Zhao, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said China is ready to work with all parties to jointly implement the Global Governance Initiative (GGI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and promote the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.
China will always support the development of the BFA, Zhao said, stressing efforts to stay true to the founding purpose of the forum, keep pace with the times, and uphold openness and inclusiveness.
He also expressed China's willingness to work with all countries to jointly build a clean, beautiful and sustainable world.
BFA Chairman Ban Ki-moon and other representatives spoke highly of the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the global initiatives proposed by China, expressing their willingness to make unremitting efforts to promote the development of the forum.
China's top legislator meets BFA board members, senior advisors
With the Chinese premiere of "Moulin Rouge! The Musical" coming to Shanghai in December, a shopping mall in the city is hosting a variety of promotional and exchange activities this month, themed around American opera and songs.
Even though the stage show, adapted from the hit film, is still more than seven months away, Shanghai is already going "rouge".
Set in the legendary Moulin Rouge nightclub in late 19th-century Paris, the story follows the tragic romance between a young composer, Christian, and star performer Satine.
"The show is a lot about courage. Satine has experienced a lot of limitations and expectations in her life. And then Christian comes along and shows her that love can be like free and liberating and spontaneous. The love story isn't easy at all, but that's what makes it deeply human," said Verity Thompson, who will play the role of Satine in Shanghai.
Since 2018, the musical has won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and has attracted more than 10 million audience members worldwide.
"As well as the classic songs that people know from the movie, there are some new ones as well to give the audience the surprise. So there's some songs by Beyonce or Adele or Lady Gaga in there, as well as Elton John and some of the classic songs that they expect," said James McKeon, an associate musical supervisor for the Shanghai show.
The shopping mall, called Grand Gateway 66, has taken on a distinctly Parisian glow, with Moulin Rouge–themed installations throughout.
"We expect this event to be an immersive experience, and also to bring about a lot of excitement and surprising elements to shoppers. But at the same time, we hope that we can infuse and also inject more vitality into the district by introducing arts and culture," said Pan Mingfeng, general manager, Shanghai Grand Gateway Plaza.
Shanghai gets ready for Chinese premiere of “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”
