The ballet "The Nutcracker," performed by the Astrakhan Ballet Troupe of the Russian National Ballet Theatre, was staged on the evening of December 31, 2024 at the Chinese Century Altar in Beijing. The Nutcracker "is a classic ballet created by Russian composer Tchaikovsky in 1891. It tells the story of a little girl named Mary and her wooden toy, the Nutcracker, embarking on a magical adventure on Christmas Eve. The performance of 'The Nutcracker' this time is a new version arranged by Konstantin Uralsky, the director of the Russian National Ballet Theatre. While retaining the childlike romance of the original work, it incorporates modern aesthetics and narrative perspectives, which can better connect with the audience's emotions. It is reported that the performance is an important part of the "2024 China Russia Cultural Year" series of cultural and artistic exchange activities jointly initiated by China and Russia. On the evening of the performance, the China Century Altar Theater was fully booked. Looking back to 2024, the China Century Altar held a series of outstanding performance events such as the "Second China Russia Youth Culture and Art Carnival" and the "Large scale Performance Concert of the Siberian State Song and Dance Troupe", becoming an important platform for cultural exchange and intersection between China and Russia. This performance is hosted by Beijing Gehua Cultural Development Group. The organizer stated that the performance marks a successful conclusion to the cultural and artistic exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia in 2024, and opens up a new starting point for deeper artistic dialogue between the two countries in 2025. (New Society)