A group of 130 performers from Shanghai Opera House stepped on August 15 on their way to Germany's Saarbruecken International Music Festival, the most important international cultural gala in Saarland - Lorraine - Luxembourg district since its first opening in 1989.

The stage pose of Shanghai Opera House in Saarbruecken is an important part of a series of activities held by Chinese Ministry of Culture for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.

With China being the Guest of Honor, this year's Saarbruecken International Music Festival chooses epic drama Aida by Verdi, an Italian opera composer and Symphonie No.9 by the most influential German composer and pianist Beethoven of which Europeans and especially Germans are most proud for the House to perform.

"The reason why the organizer choose these two difficult works is that on one hand, it trusts the strength of Shanghai Opera House and on the other hand, it wishes to make music a carrier of international cooperation, friendship and double win through cross ethnic performing of western classic works." said Xu Zhong, head of Shanghai Opera House.

The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will also set out two days later to participate in Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. This is the first time such a world's top music festival with a history of over 80 years has sent out its invitation to a Chinese orchestral group, marking a crucial step in Chinese orchestral groups' "going out".