To usher in the 133rd Canton Fair, the musical Bond of Love premiered at the Guangdong Friendship Theatre on April 15, the opening day of the Fair, and will be performed until April 18.
The musical tells a Sino-French love story that starts at the first Canton Fair in 1957. A young man from Guangzhou named Qiao Cheng meets and falls in love with Isabella when she first arrives in China for the Fair. However, they mistakenly break up and meet again at the Canton Fair in 2023. According to Yan Bing, director and scriptwriter of the musical, the play incorporates many similar stories from the history of the Canton Fair, taking the audience through the development of the Canton Fair over the past 66 years.
(Photo: Nanfang Plus)
A total of over 500 exhibitors, buyers and other old friends of Canton Fair were invited to watch the show. "I feel so honoured and proud to see a musical based on our working environment and life experiences!" said Ms Wei, a buyer at the Canton Fair. She has participated in the Fair every year since 2004, and invited her Russian client to the theatre to watch the play together.
"It's not just a love story, the story has a global central logic," said Ms Zhu from Foshan, who believes that the musical highlights Guangdong's determination to welcome customers from all over the world. It was also her first time attending the Canton Fair as an exhibitor on that day, and she was deeply impressed by the bustling scene with participants from different countries and regions. "It gave me a feeling of being connected to the world."
