The 15th China Children's Theatre Festival opened in Jiaxing City, east China's Zhejiang Province on Friday evening, aiming to enrich children's summer vacation with more than 180 touring performances and a series of special theater activities in multiple cities across the country.
Curated from an international pool of talent across four countries, the festival presents a rich lineup of nearly 40 different children's plays, which will be staged across multiple cities.
The festival also aims to break the boundaries of traditional theater spaces by offering immersive interactive activities that extend the reach of drama into streets and neighborhoods.
"We are not only bringing children into the theater to watch performances. There are also markets, pre-show introductions, and post-show parades. Children can not only see high-quality productions on stage but also learn about behind-the-scenes stories," said Mao Ernan, deputy director of the China National Theatre for Children and secretary-general of the organizing committee for the festival.
As the main venue for this year's festival, Jiaxing has also offered supporting cultural tourism discounts, drama-themed study tour routes, and parent-child travel packages, aiming to create a two-way synergy between culture, arts, and urban tourism.
"We have already coordinated with more than 80 organizations to jointly promote this effort, creating a favorable environment for parent-child travel from surrounding cities. The idea is that families can come to Jiaxing to watch a play, stay overnight, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jiaxing," said Zhang Zhihua, deputy director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Xiuzhou District in Jiaxing City.
The festival will run until the end of August.
Children's Theater Festival bringing 180-plus performances to cities across China
Business leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs from around the world gathered at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), where discussions are focusing on turning AI innovation into cross-border partnerships and real-world applications.
The 2026 WAIC is running in Shanghai from Friday to Monday under the theme "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future."
Across the exhibition halls, conversations often extended beyond product demonstrations, with visitors exploring potential partnerships, supply chains and overseas expansion.
Among them was Paolo Brizzi, chief information officer of Italy's Competence Center for Industry and Manufacturing (CIM), who met with a Chinese AI company to discuss cooperation ranging from industrial applications to entering the European market.
"My point is not to be a customer or a provider of technologies, but to identify parts [where we can] actually collaborate and work together," he said.
The four-day conference has also created opportunities for startups to connect with investors, researchers and potential customers. One startup launched an online networking group on the opening day, attracting hundreds of participants who exchanged ideas, explored business opportunities and sought technical solutions.
Participants said AI innovation depends not only on technological breakthroughs but also on cooperation across industries and countries.
"Collaboration is important because alone you cannot do so much. It needs to be a team support ecosystem," said Florian Wohlrab, CEO of Canada-based OpenHW Foundation.
For many international visitors, the conference is also an opportunity to explore how AI can help address practical challenges. Omar Khan, a participant from Pakistan, said international cooperation is essential to ensuring AI benefits everyone.
"I think, for me, we are all the one. We're human and I think we can cooperate a lot," he said.
Some attendees were looking for solutions to challenges in their home countries. A visitor from Kenya said AI applications such as weather forecast and soil analysis could help improve agricultural productivity across many parts of Africa, where farming remains a cornerstone of the economy.
As countries race to advance AI technologies, participants at this year's WAIC said the conference has become a platform for connecting ideas, technology and demand across borders, helping turn AI innovation into practical international cooperation.
World AI Conference highlights growing demand for global AI partnership
