The 13th China Children's Theater Festival, themed "Lighting Up Young Minds, Shaping the Future," kicked off on Friday at the China National Theater for Children in Beijing.

Opening the festival was The Cat God in the Forbidden City, a popular song and dance drama co-produced by the China National Theater for Children and the Palace Museum in 2023. The show, widely praised for animating cultural relics, became an instant hit upon its premiere in late December, staging 50 performances during its first run.

"The Cat God in the Forbidden City is expected to hit 100 performances in August, which is a remarkable achievement for a production of 10 months old," said Feng Li, president of the theater and writer of the play.

Along with the smash-hit drama, other 32 children's dramas by 25 theater companies hailing from eight countries, including Russia, Japan, Norway, and Germany, will be featured at the 38-day festival running through Aug 18, giving children a theatrical summer treat.

The festival will also highlight the theater's charity endeavors through its "New Era Seed Project," which is about planting the seeds of art in the hearts of young children, especially the disadvantaged.

In 2023 summer, its artists went to Guangshan, a remote county in Henan province, where theater for children was non-existent, and created two dramas based on local culture and history and trained local children to perform. This summer, more than 50 secondary and primary students from Guangshan will be invited to perform the two dramas at the China National Theater for Children in Beijing.

In addition, four plays selected from the second season of "Blooming and Sailing", an incubation program of theater and performing arts for young audiences initiated by the theater, will be staged during the festival.

Over the last 12 years, the festival has showcased, both online and offline, 530 theatrical works for children by 314 theater companies in 34 countries from around the world, making it a significant platform for exhibiting the latest achievements in children's theater, fostering children's theater exchange and growth, Feng said.

Held alongside the festival will be the theater's inaugural "Summer Tour 100+" tour, which is operated by adhering to the principles of high-quality productions at low ticket prices for public benefit. A total of 172 performances of the theater's 10 outstanding plays will be held in 29 cities across 15 provinces.