Actors perform traditional Kunqu Opera "Peony Pavilion" during the 10th China Art Festival in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 18, 2013. "Peony Pavilion", created by ancient Chinese playwriter Tang Xianzu (1550-1616), tells a love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei, embodying young people's pursuit of love and freedom. (Photo: Xinhua/Xu Suhui)
A concert was held in Madrid on Friday to pay tribute to Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu, British writer William Shakespeare and Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes.
The ceremony commemorated the 400th anniversary of their deaths with a spectacle that included China's dancing from Tang Xianzu's time and music played with ancient instruments from the Renaissance period.
The concert also had a goal of collecting 1 million euros (1.13 million U.S. dollars) to support the campaign "a hug" to renovate the ICU for children at the Hospital Nino Jesus.
The event, organized by the Fundacion Orient with the collaboration of 41 associations, was also held on the occasion of the World Book Day which is on April 23.
"We brought together in this event two important figures, adding Shakespeare as well. Cervantes and Tang Xianzu lived in the same time, but were separated by space," Javier Junquera, secretary of Fundacion Orient told Xinhua.
"We want Chinese to know a bit more about Spain's culture through this event and Spaniards to know more about Chinese playwriter Tang Xianzu," President of Fundacion Orient Julia Zhang told Xinhua, highlighting that these kinds of events were a platform to show Tang Xianzu's work to Western countries where he is not so widely known.
This year there are many activities in the world to commemorate the death anniversary of the three writers and highlight the links between them.
