China Theatre Association
	Chinese Theatre Association was established on July 24, 1949. Its original name was The Theatre Workers’ Union of China, which was renamed to Chinese Theatre Association (CTA) in 1953. CTA is a non-governmental organization composed of theatre artists of various nationalities throughout the country. It also functions as a bridge between the government and its numerous artist members. It is a member organization of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC). It is estimated that CTA has around 12,700 individual members till the end of 2005, all of whom are eminent playwrights, directors, actors, set designers, theatre musicians,theorists,critics, theatre educators, managers and administrators, etc. There are also 34 organizational members (including local theatre associations representing 32 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, China Petroleum Theatre Association and General Political Bureau of People’s Liberation Army). Over these 50 years history, Chinese Theatre Association has actively organized many national theatre activities and events, such as holding national and international theatre festivals, giving national theatre awards and prizes, promoting theatrical creations, selecting and training talented theatre artists, holding academic forums and symposiums, conducting international theatre exchanges, publishing theatre books and journals, etc. It has made great contribution to the development and the prosperity of Chinese theatre. The main regular theatre activities that are sponsored and organized by CTA includes China National Theatre Festival, China International Theatre Festival, BeSeTo Theatre Festival (an annual festival among China, Korea and Japan), China National Folk Theatre Festival, China Campus Theatre Festival, China Short Play Festival, China Grand Contest of Sketch Plays, etc. CTA is authorized to give the most prestigious theatre awards in China-Chinese Theatre Prize, which includes “Plum-blossom” Acting Prize, “Cao Yu” Playwright Prize, Excellent Play Prize, Short Play and Sketch Prize, Campus Play Prize, Theatre Theory and Critic Prize. In 2005, CTA set up a touring performing group composed of “Plum blossom” winner actors and its performances were very well received by audiences wherever they went. Chinese Theatre Association is also actively promoting theatre exchanges with other countries. It has established friendly relations with theatre counterparts of over 20 countries. CTA formally joined the International Theatre Institute(I.T.I.) in 1981 and set up The Chinese Center of I.T.I. It also became a member of Asia-Pacific Bureau of I.T.I. in 1999. In 1994, BeSeTo (Initial letters of Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo) was inaugurated in Seoul, which is a festival to be held in turn among the three countries annually. In the year 2003, Chinese Theatre Association created a Sino-Japan Theatre Friendship Awards. Since 2001, CTA organized such plays as Farewell, My Concubine, Wuchang and Nudiao, Mulian Saves her Mother, Escort, Dogface to perform on international stages and won top awards at Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Iranian Fadjr International Theatre Festival and Vietnamese International Experimental Theatre Festival. The formal presidents of CTA were Mr.Tian Han, Mr.Cao Yu, Mr.Li Moran, and the present honorary president is Mr.Li Moran, president is Mr.Shang Changrong, the vice-president and executive director is Mr.Dong Wei. Vice-presidents (In the order of their family names’strokes) are Mr.Wang Xiaoying, Ms.Bai Shuxian, Ms. Liu Changyu, Ms. Li Weikang, Ms. Mao Weitao, Mr. Meng Bing, Ms. Han Zaifen, Ms. Pei Yanling, Mr.Wei Minglun, Mr.Pu Cunxin, Mr. Qu Xianhe. Secretary General is Mr.Ji Guoping. CTA has such departments as: Office, Domestic Liaison Department, Foreign Liaison Department, Research Department, Personnel Department, Old Cadres Department, Service Center, Play Monthly, Chinese Theatre Monthly, Chinese Theatre Almanac. It also has a publishing house.