On May 28, 2016, a drama festival commemorating the 400^th anniversary of the death of both Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu, the great Chinese playwright in the Yuan Dynasty, was held in Beijing Foreign Studies University. The festival was intended to promote performing arts exchanges between youths of China and the UK.

The festival was co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, China-EU Association, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Edinburgh Napier University, and British Studies Center of BFSU.

Six dramas were performed in the festival, all directed and acted by the university students from both countries: The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure and Thunderstorm were staged by students from Napier. BFSU students performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Covenant of Loyalty and The Decision of Mr. and Mrs. Crook.

Song Jingwu, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Zhao Min, BFSU Deputy Party Secretary, Jia Wenjian, Vice President of BFSU, and officials from the British Embassy in Beijing also attended the festival.