On March 27, the dance drama Crested Ibis performed by the Shanghai Song and Dance Troupe, organized by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), was staged in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. President Yang Wanming, who was visiting Japan, attended the performance alongside Ryuta Ibaragi, Governor of Okayama Prefecture, and other key officials from Okayama Prefecture and various municipal governments. Since its premiere in Chiba Prefecture on February 19, Crested Ibis has toured 19 cities across 18 prefectures in Japan, attracting nearly 50,000 viewers. The performance in Okayama was the 34th stop on the tour.
On the evening of the performance, the theater was filled to capacity. Audiences, eager for the long-awaited show, arrived early at the venue. Among the attendees were not only long-time supporters returning to relive the performance but also newcomers drawn by the play's reputation. On stage, the artists demonstrated the spirit of "performing each show as perfectly as if it were the first", using their superb dancing skills to vividly bring the elegance and grace of the crested ibis to life. Immersed in this picturesque artistic world, the audiences were all deeply moved by the beauty of life and nature. Especially during the depiction of the crested ibis's journey from near-extinction to rebirth, many audiences were moved to tears, lamenting the loss of the bird and celebrating its at its miraculous return. As the curtain fell, the applause and cheers lasted for a long time. At that moment, emotions resonated across national boundaries, and the seeds of love and peace quietly took root and began to sprout.
During his interactions with Japanese friends, President Yang Wanming noted that cultural exchanges between China and Japan have always served as the "stabilizer" of bilateral relations. Since 1975, the CPAFFC has organized over 40 outstanding domestic performing troupes—including Peking opera, acrobatic, song and dance, and drama troupes—to tour Japan. These efforts have built a bridge of art and friendship between the peoples of China and Japan. This Crested Ibis tour in Japan is also part of the CPAFFC's ongoing efforts to promote the mutual understanding between the two peoples. He expressed hope for more cultural exchanges between China and Japan in the future.
After watching the performance, Governor Ryuta Ibaragi commented that the crested ibis, as a symbol of luck, carries the profound friendship between the Chinese and Japanese peoples across mountains and waters. The Crested Ibis performance tonight is a deeply moving visual feast. It is hoped that the CPAFFC bring more outstanding cultural and artistic works to Japan in the future to further promote understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
Following the performance, President Yang Wanming extended his regards to the cast and crew, congratulated them on the success of the performance, and encouraged them to redouble their efforts to make new contributions to enhancing cultural exchanges, mutual understanding, and friendship between the peoples of China and Japan.
Yuan Mindao, Vice President of the CPAFFC, Fang Wei, the Deputy Consul-General of the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Osaka, local leaders of the Soka Gakkai, and Min-On President Koji Yamaguchi, along with nearly 2,000 audiences, attended the performance.
The tour of Crested Ibis in Japan will last for over two months, with 55 performances scheduled across 30 cities in 28 prefectures.
