Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Thrice Oscar-nominated director Zhang Yimou will stage his interpretation of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium on March 27 and 28. The performance in Taichung will be identical to the version staged at the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing in October 2009. To promote the opera to Taipei residents, Taichung Mayor Jason Hu arrived in Taipei City for the press conference at Far Eastern Plaza Hotel on March 10. The visiting mayor appeared with other guests – including Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin, TV show hostess Sissy Chen, Ming Hwa Yuan Taiwanese Opera Troupe's leading actress Sun Tsui-feng – on stage to perform a short parody of Turandot at the press event. Dressed in a colorful Tang Dynasty gown and wearing heavy make-up, Hu played the part of Princess Turandot’s sister while Hau took on the role of the aging emperor – the father of Turandot. The short comic relief won rounds of laughter and applause from the audience. Mayor Hau remarked that Hu’s creativity, vision, and stamina in pursuing the development of Taichung’s cultural industry serves as a great inspiration for other police-makers. In addition, the diligence demonstrated by Taichung’s mayor in promoting his city is also worth of imitation, noted Hau.