The Singapore Season, a showcase of its artistic and cultural achievements, will be held in Beijing and Shanghai next month.

The month-long event in China, from October 12 to November 10, will boast a line-up of music, theater, dance, visual arts, design and literary events, according to a press briefing held in Singapore on Wednesday.

Prominent art groups and performers will include the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Dance Theater, Drama Box and pop singer JJ Lin.

The Season will also present the works of Singaporean artists such as Chen Wen Hsi, Goh Beng Kwan, and screen popular Singapore films such as "I Not Stupid Too."

The arts programs for the Season in China will be presented in conjunction with two of China's most prestigious international arts events -- the Beijing Music Festival and the China Shanghai International Arts Festival, setting a channel for artistic exchanges and collaboration between the two countries.

"We wanted the Season to showcase, to have both reach and richness to a wide range of audience in China. That is why we have decided to have not just one form of arts but different forms, and not only ticketed events but also outreach events," Lee Suan Hiang, chief executive officer of Singapore's National Arts Council, said at a press briefing on the event.

Business programs will also be incorporated this time in the Season. One of them is the Singapore Seminar, to provide an update on the latest corporate developments in Singapore. The other is a China-Singapore Media Business Forum, designed to foster business collaborations between media industry players from both countries.

Tan Chin Nam, chairman of the steering committee for the event, said that the Season will benefit China-Singapore relations.

"It will lead to a better understanding, better networking, because of the large number of events we have organized... and I think definitely it will help strengthen our bilateral relationship."

First launched in London in 2005, Singapore Season is a cultural diplomacy effort to raise awareness of Singapore as a multi-cultural global city and showcase its global connectivity and attractiveness as a place to live, work and play.

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2007)