Paris, May 24 (IANS) Chinese opera star Zhang Jun has been selected as the Unesco Artist for Peace for his commitment to promoting Chinese Kunqu opera, the Paris-based UN agency has announced.
Unesco Director-General Irina Bokova will name Zhang during an official ceremony at the Unesco headquarters in Paris May 26, Xinhua reported citing a statement from the organisation.
Zhang would be the artist for peace for a period of two years.
Born in Shanghai in 1974, Zhang is a leading promoter of Kunqu, one of the oldest forms of Chinese opera.
Zhang also promotes programmes such as the Hope Project to build schools and improve education in China's poorest areas.
Kunqu was developed under the Ming dynasty (14th-17th centuries) in Kunshan city in east China and is characterised by the combination of song, recitals and complex choreographic techniques.