World leading cultural festival has growing Chinese input

In Scotland the Edinburgh International Festival is now underway. Recently Festival Director Fergus Linehan was in Beijing where he talked with Bruce about his hopes for the Festival, the first he has led.

Fergus mentions the musical traditions held by the Festival. Classical and contemporary music is performed in a range of excellent venues across the city. He explains how there is a great cultural appetite over the month of August when Edinburgh becomes a world leading artistic and festival city. It is not just music but also ballet, opera, literature, theatre that are involved in such a great event.

Fergus was in Beijing at the same time as Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. They both attended the re-signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Scotland and China's Ministry of Culture.

The 2015 Festival, currently underway, has a strong Chinese presence including a joint production between the National Theatre of Scotland and Tianjin's Children's Art Theatre.