The Peony Pavilion, the gift to Stratford-on-Avon District Council from the People's Government of Fuzhou Municipality in China, was officially opened last Friday 27 April.
The Chairman of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Cllr Christopher Kettle together with Hu Sishe, Vice President of CPAFFC, Xiao Yi, Vice Chairman of Jiangxi Provincial CPPCC, Yu Peng, Minister Counsellor Cultural Office of the Embassy of PRC and the Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, Cllr John Bicknell officially opened the Peony Pavilion in the Firs Garden, Stratford-upon-Avon.
The official opening was a celebration of the culmination of four years of friendship and of Fuzhou and Stratford-on-Avon working together.
Cllr Christopher Kettle, Chairman of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said: "This pavilion is named after the great work of Tang Xianzu, who lived at the same time and died in the same year as William Shakespeare, 1616.
"We now have the remarkable pavilion to remind all who visit Stratford-upon-Avon of this eternal link between our two cities, and just as we have this pavilion here as a gift from Fuzhou, thanks to the Birthplace Trust, we know that in China, the City of Fuzhou is recreating both Shakespeare's Birthplace and New Place at the remarkable development of San-Weng.
"However the important message for all is that this gift of the pavilion is not the end of a four year project but merely marks the end of the first Act of a great play we, the two countries of China and the UK, through Fuzhou and Stratford-upon-Avon, are writing together, based on our shared love of the arts and culture."
The specially commissioned pavilion has been expertly built by a team of highly skilled Chinese craftsmen, over three weeks in March, supported by local contractor, Edward Brain & Sons Ltd. who built the foundations and supplied plant and materials.
Fourteen crates containing all the different components for the pavilion and the hand tools used for the construction were shipped over from China in February for this project. The Peony Pavilion is made up of lots of intricate details using a variety of materials including timber, stone, clay, slate and some intricate wood carvings.
To accompany the Peony Pavilion there is an 'Inscription of Peony Pavilion' - detailing the most popular works of Tang Xianzu, which depicts the affectionate romance between Du Liniang and Lui Mengmei whose love story has been passed down for more than 400 years with Peony Pavilion considered as a token of love.
The pavilion marks the latest link between Stratford and the Fuzhou Municipality in a collaboration that aims to strengthen ties between the district and China. Councillors are looking to build on the cultural partnership to boost trade and investment links and strengthen the local economy.
Key to the cultural partnership is Sanweng Town, a new cultural attraction being built 14km from Fuzhou, which will celebrate the lives and works of William Shakespeare, Tang Xianzu and Miguel de Cervantes. Sanweng will feature reconstructions of some of the hometowns of each artist.
The attraction aims to celebrate the achievements of Tang Xianzu, Shakespeare and Cervantes, who all passed away in the same year 1616.
