The National Centre for the Performing Arts stages Italian opera Turandot in Beijing in June. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Tracing the achievements of the performing arts in China in the past few decades on the back of the country's rapid development, NCPA President Wang Ning says theater has been an important platform for global and cultural exchange.

In the last decade, artists have taken to the center stage more than 300,000 times, with its shows attracting nearly 1 million visits every year, Wang says. Collaborations with more than 130 countries and over 400 international arts institutions have also been forged, as well as cooperation agreements inked with more than 30 major groups abroad.

"Chinese and foreign artists have come together here with audiences, through mutual respect and appreciation, toward cultural exchange and development," he says.

"The theater is an important link between different countries, different nationalities and different cultures."