Pupils from Beijing to perform fantasy ballet at Edinburgh Festival

A group of pupils from a Haidian Primary School in north-west Beijing are preparing to perform on three of the world's greatest stages this summer.

“The Chinese Dream” is the overarching theme of the new Chinese leadership under President Xi Jinping. And for one primary school in Haidian, Beijing, a small part of that dream will come true this summer, when its pupils perform on three of the world's greatest stages.

For months 150 pupils aged from 8 to 12, from the Zhonguancun No. 2 Primary School, have been rehearsing. Their show is Wild Zebra, a fantasy ballet created by General Zhang Jigang, one of the famed "Three Zhangs" who produced the opening and closing ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. It has a full ballet corps of 75 dancers, and a full symphony orchestra of similar size.

Wild Zebra made its debut at Tsinghua University in January this year. Plans are now under way to see it performed in June at one of China's most prestigious venues – perhaps even the National Centre for Performing Arts on Chang'an Avenue, Beijing. In August it will move on to the world's greatest Arts Celebration, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. There it will be staged at The Playhouse, the biggest theatre venue in Britain. And negotiations are now in process to complete a fantastic triple-header by taking the show to a London West End theater.

"The Playhouse is definite for August 13 - right in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival," said a spokesperson for China Young Cultural Ambassadors, the group that is organizing the trip. “We now have a venue and a date for London, and we are trying to finalize the agreement. We ought to know in a matter of days. It's very exciting."

2015 has been formally designated as China-UK Year of Cultural Exchange, and Wild Zebra is part of the official program of events. The show tells the story of the struggle between an evil bear and a wild zebra who is willing to sacrifice all to save her loved one.

One of the key messages of Wild Zebra is a theme of common interest that inspires young people throughout the world today - the importance of protecting wildlife and nurturing the environment. This is now a critical issue in China, and the Chinese government has made environmental protection one of its very highest priorities.

"We are trying to secure support and sponsorship at the highest levels in China, Scotland, and London," said the spokesperson. "So far, the results have been very encouraging. I should emphasize that this is a not-for-profit project. We need sponsorship because we do have to cover our costs – and the best venues in Britain don't come cheap. But if we can generate a surplus we'll try to make donations to appropriate charities, and we'll reinvest the money in supporting children on cultural exchanges between China and the UK."

Underpinned by a government-to-government agreement set out at the UK-China Summit in London in 2014, and launched during the visit of Prince William to China in March, the 2015 UK-China Year of Cultural Exchange will showcase the very best of UK culture in China and Chinese culture in the UK. The Year will comprise two ‘seasons’ of culture – a UK season in China in the first half of 2015 and a China season in the UK in the second half of 2015. Hundreds of millions of people in China, the UK and globally will have access to the very best of British and Chinese arts.