Cao Zhen

THE U.K. NOW festival, a seven-month event showcasing British art and creative industries, opens next month in 19 Chinese cities, locally including Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao.

Co-organized by the British Council and China’s Ministry of Culture, U.K. NOW features hundreds of exciting events by celebrated and established artists as well as rising talents in dance, design, music, theater and visual arts.

In Shenzhen, TNT Theater will stage Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield” at Huaxia Art Center on April 3. The show also will be staged in Guangzhou’s Xinghai Concert Hall on April 6-7.

Another Shenzhen event that should not be missed is “London 2012 — Olympic and Paralympic Posters,” from April 24 to May 3 at Guan Shanyue Art Museum. The exhibition also is being held in Hong Kong’s Core C until April 19.

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games commissioned 12 of the United Kingdom’s leading artists, including Nicholas Serota, Tamsin Dillon and Judith Nesbittto, to create images to celebrate London’s hosting of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Each image is a distinct interpretation of the Games by individual artists. The series’ diversity demonstrates the extraordinary creative talent that exists within Britain. Four of the chosen artists have won the Turner Prize and five have represented Britain at the Venice Biennale.

“In the year of the London Olympics, we are bringing the best of British culture to China,” Sebastian Wood, British ambassador to China, told Chinese media. He said the festival marks not only the London Olympics but also the 40th anniversary of ambassadorial relations between China and the United Kingdom.

Visitors to Guangzhou can enjoy several prominent activities during the festival, such as the Philharmonia Orchestra’s concert April 1, 1927 Theater’s “The Animals and Children Took to the Street” on April 4 and 5, Clive Barda’s photo exhibition until July and a photo exhibition of British rock bands.

Highlights of the festival in other Chinese cities include exhibitions from influential Turner Prize-winning sculptor Tony Cragg and acclaimed celebrity portrait and fashion photographer Rankin; a selection of critics’ favorites from the Edinburgh Festival, which celebrates Scottish arts; tours by English National Ballet; provocative dance performances by Akram Khan Company; and shows by young British bands.

“The U.K. has one of the world’s most active and vital arts scenes, where heritage and tradition continue to influence and inspire popular culture and contemporary art,” said David Elliott, director of Arts at the British Council, China, in Beijing.

The festival’s full calendar is available online at: www.uknow.org.cn/en/home.html.