This edition of the festival featured 72 high caliber, high quality stage productions, including 12 world premieres, 3 Asian premieres, 5 Chinese premieres, and 44 Shanghai premieres. A host of world renowned masters and companies – such as Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Anna Netrebko, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, American Ballet Theatre, and the Mariinsky Theatre – along with outstanding Chinese ensembles like the Beijing People's Art Theatre and the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, gathered in Shanghai and performed in succession. Original Chinese works, including the dance drama Yonghe Ninth Year and the symphonic suite The Road to the Sea, also had their premieres to great acclaim, showcasing China's image and spreading its voice to the world through a rich variety of artistic forms.