The Chinese classic work of literature "A Dream of Red Mansions" has been adapted into a number of stage and screen versions over the years. Artists from the Northern Kunqu Opera Theatre made the classic back in 2011. And now the triennial  China Arts Festival is recognizing their work.     Kunqu Opera is one of the oldest forms of opera still existing in China, with its origins dating back to the end of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It has distinguished itself by its rhythmic patterns and has had a key influence on all the more recent forms of opera in China, including the Sichuan and Beijing operas.     In 2001, UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization)announced Kunqu Opera as a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (a UNESCO program that ensures the best of every country's traditions is preserved and developed as well as made known to the outside world).     Kunqu Opera, acknowledged as an outstanding opera, has suffered somewhat of a decline since the eighteenth century because it requires a high level of technical knowledge from the audience. Today, it is facing competition from mass culture and a lack of interest among the young. Of the 400 arias  regularly sung in opera performances in the mid-20th century, only a few dozen are still performed. More information, please click here. This passage is possibly from  _  .
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