Suzhou Ballet Theatre (SBT) staged its original ballet Tang Yin in Riga, capital of Latvia, on May 2, kicking off its two-leg Eastern European tour that will last till May 9.

The performance, based on the bumpy life of a Chinese scholar living in the regions south of the Yangtze River about 500 years ago, stunned the audiences at Riga's VEF Cultural Center with its ingenious way of telling a Chinese story through modern western art forms.

Sun Yinglai, Chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Latvia, enjoyed the show and gave his greetings to the troupe members after the performance.

The audiences spoke highly of the performance and showed great interest in the Chinese elements it showcased.

"We knew the audiences would understand what we want to express. The visual design, western ballet art forms and music by Estonian composer Arvo Prt can help them understand the story," said Li Ying, SBT's art director.

It is learnt that Riga and Suzhou have been sister cities since 1997 and the friendship between the two cities has been increasingly strengthened in a long list of cooperation projects in such fields as business, culture, art, education and sports. SBT’s performance was definitely another milestone in the two cities' cultural and art exchange.

In addition to the performance, the SBT delegation visited the Latvian National Theatre and Latvian National Ballet and held a workshop and a series of other events to enhance exchange with local artists and citizens.