Shanghai Ballet was formally renamed in 1979 at the base of The White-haired Girl performing team. Shanghai Ballet is one of the world’s predominant ballet companies, bringing the unique glamour of Chinese dance to the international stage. The White-Haired Girl, an award-winning classical Chinese ballet created in the 20th century, brought instant fame to the Company and helped establish its leading position in the ballet world.

During its 40-year history, Shanghai Ballet has created and staged many new ballet productions, includingThe Butterfly Lovers (XIN Lili), A Sigh of Love (Bertrand d’At),The Last Mission of Marco Polo (Jose Martinez) , Jane Eyre(Patrick de BANA), Echoes of Eternity (Patrick de BANA), Bright Red Star(ZHAO Ming), Hamlet (Derek Deane), Shanghai Grand Theatre’s version The Nutcracker (Derek Deane), Shanghai Ballet Version The Sleeping Beauty(Derek Deane), and the Lady of the Camellias (Derek Deane). Besides, the repertoire of the company includes Swan Lake (Derek Deane), Romeo and Juliet (Derek Deane), Coppelia (Pierre Lacotte), La Sylphide (Jean-Paul Gravier), The Nutcracker (Tetsutaro Shimizu), Giselle, Don Quixote, Balanchine and Beyond, The Ode of Joy—Gala Performance.

Such artists as SHI Zhongqin, MAO Huifang, LING Guiming etc. came out with the glory of The White-haired Girl while XIN Lili, WANG Qifeng and YANG Xinhua, etc stood out with the inheritance of The White-haired Girl and creations. Nowadays, new generations as CHEN Zhenrong, JI Pingping, FAN Xiaofeng, WU Husheng, QI Bingxue, etc. shine with the new repertories and creations.Since its founding, young dancers of the company have won a total of 59 medals in various international dance competitions, and they have also achieved impressive results in nationwide competitions.

Shanghai Ballet is active in cooperation and artistic exchange with artists and companies both at home and abroad. The company has toured not only in China but also throughout the world, including performances in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Spain, Norway, Finland, Poland, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and important cities like Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan etc.

In the words of a critic, “Shanghai Ballet is as elegant as the delicate porcelain imported from China.”