The 3rd Peking Opera Festival, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of China, will be held in Nanjing of East China's Jiangsu Province from December 2 to 16, sources with the ministry said Tuesday.

The festival will include performances and competitions, symposium on 21st century's Peking Opera development, and a Peking Opera arts exhibition.

The 24 operas on the schedule were selected from nearly 50 performances by professional Peking Opera troupes throughout the country, most of which were produced in recent years.

The festival will cover a wide range of Peking opera styles, including re-written shows combining history and legends, modern operas which reflect everyday life, and pieces from the traditional repertoire.

Peking opera troupes from remote areas as well as a group from Hong Kong will for the first time stage their programs.

Graduate students from the Chinese Academy of Opera will also present a new play.

Awards will be given to artists who write and stage new works for the people of Nanjing, and local citizens will be invited to participate in an amateur Peking Opera competition.

Tickets for the festival will be on sale at home and abroad.

The previous festivals were held in 1995 and 1998.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2001)