En pointe, cultural openness in China (3)

In October, Wayne McGregor/Random Dance staged "Entity," a compelling abstract piece that challenges audiences' understanding. The show lent a modernist touch to the NCPA festival and was warmly received by Chinese audiences.

NCPA will also be offering some more traditional performances in November, such as "Jade Hairpin," a Kunqu Opera, and "Du Fu," a modern drama that tells the story of one great ancient poet.

Meanwhile, the ongoing Shanghai International Arts Festival has managed to bring Peking Opera, symphony, Senegalese dance, British puppetry and magic to the newly-emerging middle class in the economically vibrant coastal city.

Kang Sue-jin, a Korean principal dancer in Stuttgart Ballet who danced the lead role of Margaret, said she was "amazed by China's economic, cultural growth" and found it awesome that "kid dancers have advanced in rather a short time" when she visited a local ballet school.

After rapid transformation in the past three decades, China surpassed Japan in the GDP ranking to become the world's second-largest economy.

"When I first came to China, it was all the same color of uniforms; when I came back, it was that colorful," said Detrich, who first came to China in 1978 as a chorus dancer in "Onegin," a ballet based on "Eugene Onegin," a novel by Russian author Alexander Pushkin.