Since 1975, the Min-On Concert Association has engaged China in cultural exchange projects, inviting the country’s top performing artists to Japan—among them being The Shanghai Dance Theatre. The group’s latest tour—which ran from February 19 to April 20, 2025—was entitled “Dance Drama ‘Toki’ (crested ibis),” performing at 55 venues at 32 cities nationwide. The Theatre had previously toured Japan at Min-On’s invitation in 2014 and 2015.
On February 17, all 65 members of the Theatre called on the Min-On Culture Center in Tokyo, where Theatre leader Qing Boming, who also serves as the director general of the Chinese People’s Association Friendship with Foreign Countries’ Cultural Exchange Department, expressed gratitude to Min-On for introducing China’s finest performers to Japanese audiences over the decades.
He pledged that he and his fellow members would do the utmost to bring the people of China and Japan together on this tour. Co-leader Wang Yan agreed with her counterpart, saying that she was moved by the bonds of goodwill and friendship between their two peoples, bonds painstakingly cultivated by Min-On founder Daisaku Ikeda over the decades.
The Theatre premiered at the city of Ichikawa in Chiba prefecture. The show’s name was named after the crested ibis, a bird that had been on the brink of extinction in China until Japan donated a pair in 1999. It became a symbol not only for bilateral friendship but also as a call human beings to coexist in harmony with nature. The dance drama featured Western ballet, traditional Chinese dance and contemporary dance, entrancing viewers throughout the tour.
The March 12 performance at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan was attended by His Excellency Wu Jianghao, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China, along with representatives from 31 other diplomatic missions to Japan. For the shows held at Nagoya City on March 23 and Yamagata City on March 30, Theatre members attended a welcome reception by local junior high school students and young people, with guests and hosts coming together in songs, dances and games. Consulate-General Wang Jiajun of the PRC Consulate in Nagoya took part in the festivities as well.
On April 2, the members visited the Toki no Mori Park, Toki Materials Exhibition Hall and Toki Rapport Plaza in Sado Island; later that day, they were greeted by Sado City Mayor Ryugo Watanabe and a sudden visit by two wild toki birds that flew across a nearby rice paddy. On April 20, the tour closed in Matsumoto City in Nagano prefecture to cries of joy and appreciation from the Japanese audience.
Min-On expresses its deep appreciation to the generous cooperation and support of numerous individuals and organizations that made the Shanghai Dance Theater tour a resounding success.
