Another stage photo of Mu Guiying Chooses Her Husband. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

"The two died in 1616. They lived in the same era and both made a huge difference to theater arts, despite their different nationalities, living conditions and ignorance of each other. This is a coincidence and an amazing miracle. The plays we just watched are a tribute to the two, thus of great significance."

The Vice-President of the USP said: "If Tang and Shakespeare knew they were still remembered 400 years later, they would be very happy. USP looks forward to organizing more cultural activities in cooperation with CCC. We hope our countries' friendship can survive another 400 years".

Dean Sudesh, from the institute of language, art and media, also addressed the show, saying: "Today, we gathered here to commemorate the two. They belong to the world, not any one nation. Their literary heritage knows no boundary".

By comparing Tang's The Peony Pavilion with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, he concluded that: "Love is why dream links to deformation. Like a phantom, dream dissolves all discrepancies and conflicts, including life vs. death and friend vs. foe, whilst love blurs the lines between awake and asleep, between life and death, as well as between friend and foe. Love even transcends time which marks the lines."

Sponsored by China's Ministry of Culture, a big exhibition will soon be held by the CCC in Fiji to showcase Chinese culture.