Shakespeare's birthplace to be recreated in China

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Replicas of two homes that British playwright William Shakespeare once lived in will be built in China's Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, the birthplace of his contemporary Tang Xianzu, in a testament to the deepening cultural links between the two nations.

The local government in Fuzhou has recently confirmed that copies of Shakespeare's childhood and adult homes in Stratford-upon-Avon will be built on the outskirts of the city.

Fuzhou's culture and tourism authority will fund the construction of a small tourism village that will be called San Weng, which means "Three Masters". It is set for completion in 2019. Hotels and accommodation will be grouped around a large theater and cultural center and buildings that commemorate Shakespeare, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, and Tang Xianzu.

The three writers are considered to be among the greatest literary figures from their respective nations, and, coincidentally, they all died in the year 1616.

Authorities in Fuzhou have hired the United Kingdom charity Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to be consultants on the project. The collaboration was made official this month with the signing of a memorandum of understanding that was witnessed by Karen Bradley, the UK's culture secretary, and Yu Qun, China's assistant minister of culture.

[The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI]

(News source: China Daily)