Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ Ｍａｔｓｕｙａｍａ Ｂａｌｌｅｔ Ｔｒｏｕｐｅ’ｓ Ｐｅｒｆｏｒｍａｎｃｅ Ｔｏｕｒ ｉｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ

To mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty， the 91-member Japanese Matsuyama Ballet Troupe gave performances of the new adaptation of Swan Lake， two in the Shanghai Grand Theatre and four in the Beijing Tianqiao Theatre， from October 7 to 18， 2003， successfully concluding their 12th performance tour in China.

The Matsuyama Ballet Troupe was jointly founded by Masao Shimizu and Mikiko Matsuyama in 1948. The Troupe has devoted itself to the promotion of cultural exchanges and development of friendly relations between Japan and China. As early as in 1955 the Troupe began to make contacts with China. By overcoming numerous difficulties they adapted the Chinese film The White-haired Girl for the ballet and in 1958 came to China for the first time to perform it and won full success. Over the past about 50 years， the Troupe has worked hard to develop and improve the ballet art and left a glorious page in the history of the cultural exchanges between China and Japan.

The new Swan Lake the Troupe performed this time was choreographed on the basis of the original by Tetsutaro Shimizu， executive director of the Troupe. Its premiere was staged in 1994. The stage design， lights and costumes all gave people a great sensuous pleasure. The music rearranged ingeniously that produced a fresh audio effect was greatly admired by the audience. The world famous ballerina Yoko Morishita starred in the ballet. The audience was greatly moved with admiration by her exquisite performance， giving warm applause to show their love for her. The new Swan Lake left wonderful impressions on the audience.

On the evening of Oct.15， Li Changchun， member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee， and State Councillors Tang Jiaxuan and Chen Zhili watched the performance. Prior to the performance， Li Changchun met with Masao Shimizu， Tetsutaro Shimizu and Yoko Morishita. Li said， Mr. Masao Shimizu and the Matsuyama Ballet Troupe are old friends of the Chinese people. Chinese leaders of the former three generations had watched your performances. We greatly appreciate the important contributions you have made to the cause of peace and friendship between our two countries. China and Japan are close neighbours separated only by a strip of water. The cultures of the two countries are of the same origin， and the cultural exchanges between our two countries go back to ancient times. We sincerely hope that under the new leadership of Tatsutaro Shimizu and Yoko Morishita， the Matsuyama Ballet Troupe will continue to play the role of envoy of Sino-Japanese friendship and peace， and that the personages of various circles of the two countries would strengthen all-round exchanges and cooperation in the spirit of drawing lessons from history and looking ahead to the future， and make new contributions to the stability and peace of the world.

Mr. Masao Shimizu in excitement said happily， for a long time the Matsuyama Ballet Troupe has gained special care and support from the Chinese friends. Every time we come to China for performance， we feel as if we were back home. We are very much grateful for the care and guidance the Chinese leaders of every generation gave to us， and for your coming to watch our performance in the midst of your pressing affairs. After the performance Li Changchun， Tang Jiaxuna and Chen Zhili went up onto the stage and had pictures taken with all the members of the Troupe.

At noon on Oct. 16， State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan met with and entertained Masao Shimizu and part of the members of the Troupe in the Diaoyutai State Guest House. Tang first expressed his thanks to the Japanese friends for their congratulations on China's successful launching of Shenzhou 5 manned spaceship. He said， the successful launching of the spaceship， and the successful conclusion of the Third Plenary Session of the 16th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China are a double blessing that has descended upon China. Today our meeting and nice chat with our old friends from the Matsuyama Ballet Troupe added to our happiness. Tetsutaro Shimizu said， every time the Troupe comes to China， there is an epoch-making event happening in China. This is both a coincidence and our good luck. This time in China we feel all the more the momentum of changes and development. We are very much touched.

At the reception on the evening of Oct. 11， Masao Shimizu， founder of the Troupe， Tetsutaro Shimizu， executive director， and Yoko Morishita， head of the Troupe， met their old friends---noted Chinese artists Wang Kun， Tian Hua and Guo Lanying who had played the role of the white-haired girl on the stage and in the film. Masao Shimizu， an old man of over 80， was very excited. They recalled the time when Chairman Mao Zedong， Premier Zhou Enlai and other Chinese leaders watched their performances. Yoko Morishita who had played the leading role in the Ballet The White-haired Girl could hardly control her excitement when she recalled her performance tour in China in 1971. The \"white-haired girls\" of the two countries chatted about friendship， expressing their aspiration for the ever-lasting friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people.

The reception was permeated with a lively and enthusiastic atmosphere. It ended in the midst of the song Winter Wind Blows， an interlude in the opera The White-haired Girl， sung together by the artists of the two countries.