Feeling the festival spirit

Speaking for themselves

While these "compliments" may not come from malice, they are, in fact, a form of stereotypical "Orientalism", as many artists point out.

"'You are so friendly, so outgoing — you can't be Chinese.' I often found myself confused in those moments. Where does that perception come from? China is such a vast country with a diverse population," says Xue Yahan, producer of Picasso 2033, a play that explores Chinese mother-daughter relationships in a world where artificial intelligence has replaced human artists.

"The good thing is that more and more Chinese people are speaking for themselves, sharing their stories, and pushing the world to realize, 'Wow, this is China; this could also be China'. That's one of the reasons we are here in Edinburgh."

Zhang Keyuan, director of Picasso 2033, says every single person's efforts count, and many drops could make a river.

"We are just a drop of water, and I don't think we can convey the full picture of the entire country. However, when many drops, represented by different groups of artists, theater troupes, musicians and others, come together, continuously sharing their stories, I believe that little drops of water can create a mighty ocean: the image of modern China, rather than some vague concept of 'the East.'"