In July, during the Milan World Expo, a 25- member performing troupe from the Chinese Traditional Opera College of the Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA) visited Italy covering three cities in 14 days starting from 13 July. The visit was at the invitation of the Piccolo Theatre, the largest theatre in Italy and presented three plays of Peking opera, namely, Miss Julie, Confucius’s Disciples, as well as the newly created Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi, to the Italian and international audiences.
The first performance of Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi in Milan on 18 July was the international debut of the play. Matteo Ricci, a cultural ambassador living in time of China’s Ming Dynasty, has been highly regarded by the Chinese as a Confucian scholar of the West, who had made far-reaching impact on China and Italy. At the working meeting after the performance, the Piccolo Theatre extended the invitation for the crew to visit again to perform Matteo Ricci on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the cooperation between the Piccolo Theatre and STA for which they would also arrange a tour to other places like Rome.
At Milan, the troupe was also invited to perform an episode of Matteo Ricci at the site of the Milan World Expo.
On 20 July, the troupe travelled to Macerata, hometown of Matteo Ricci. The performance of Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi was held in an opera house with a history of over 400 years. The audience included the local mayor and descendants of Matteo Ricci who spoke highly about the play.
The third stop was Verona, the second oldest city of Italy where the troupe continued to bring wonderful Peking opera performances to more Italians.
