Air France-KLM Group announced on Saturday that it would further extend suspensions of flights between Paris and Beirut until Aug. 6 due to rising regional tensions as a result of spillover effect of the ongoing latest round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The airline group's Air France and Transavia suspended flights between Paris and Lebanon's Beirut on July 29. The halt was then extended until at least Saturday.
The two companies' flights to Israel's Tel Aviv have been operating normally.
Switzerland's flag carrier Swiss International Air Lines and German carrier Lufthansa on Thursday announced their suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv.
Italy's ITA Airways, The Netherlands' KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Greece's Aegean Airlines suspended flights to Israel on Friday.
Air France-KLM extends suspension of Paris-Beirut flights
Air France-KLM extends suspension of Paris-Beirut flights
Air France-KLM extends suspension of Paris-Beirut flights
Yue Opera actress Chen Lijun said childhood cultural influences remain forever etched in her memory while shedding light on her connection to the popular Chinese opera genre originating from Shengzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province.
In 2023, Chen played a supporting male role in the innovative Yue Opera production "New Dragon Gate Inn", adapted from a 1992 Hong Kong film of the same name, which brought her widespread popularity in China. The 32-year-old rising star has demonstrated a unique feminine strength in her career by portraying male roles consecutively in Yue Opera.
Growing up in Shengzhou, the birthplace of Yue Opera, Chen was inspired by art form an early age, often hearing her grandparents and parents hum tunes.
"With the strong presence of Yue Opera, my hometown has a great impact on me. Yue Opera originating from Shengzhou shapes my dialect, and is my cultural root. Even if I was not trained in Yue Opera or did not pursue this artistic career, I would still feel a strong connection to it. I believe that culture has a significant influence on my childhood," said Chen.
At the age of 13, she decided to become a Yue Opera performer and entered a local art school, beginning years of intensive practice in gestures, expressions, movements, and steps.
"I was the youngest student in my class at the time. The old art school was located next to the City God Temple, surrounded by a small garden full of flowers and trees, such as grapefruit trees, osmanthus fragrans, Chinese peonies, wisteria, and many other plants I loved. I studied art in this artistic environment. When ground was covered in a carpet of golden and orange leaves in autumn, it was really romantic. Of course, it seems even more romantic in my memory. Those three years were truly wonderful for me," said Chen.
Yue Opera actress finds strength in childhood cultural roots
