With films like "the Postman" and traveling Chinese cultural extravaganza's the interplay between Chinese culture and international cultures is becoming truly fascinating. The interplay goes both ways as Chinese audiences are eager to embrace the cultures of other countries. The annual Shanghai International Arts Festival gets bigger every year. Its ninth edition, set to open October 18th, features a sparkling array of world-renowned musicians, singers, conductors and dancers. It's a list that seems to go on and on. The festival is a mix of classical and popular. On one side are symphony and ballet performances. On the other are R&B and pop concerts. The line up of artists reflects the eclectic nature of the program: the Paris Symphony Orchestra; the Royal Ballet of New Zealand; French conductor Christoph Eschenbach; Hungarian singer Marta Sebestyen, who sang the theme song for the movie "the English Patient"; American pop queen Beyonce Knowles and Asia's King of R&B Jay Chow. They're all going to be there. Some long-awaited shows will premiere during the festival, including the dance presentation "Mystery of Tibet". World-renowned Chinese dancer and choreographer Yang Liping is the driving force behind that project. Yang's previous project, "Impression Yunnan", was hailed as the ultimate showcase of ethnic culture. Another important part of the festival are art shows. The Prado Museum from Spain will transport its exhibition "From Titian to Goya" from Beijing to Shanghai. A showing of Rembrandt's works is another highlight still.