ITHACA, N.Y. -- As part of its American debut tour, the Peking University Performing Arts Troupe will present a free performance at Cornell University, Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in the Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts' Kiplinger Theatre. General admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The troupe, led by Xu Zhihong, president of Peking University, is in the midst of an 11-day tour, with stops at five universities, including Cornell, Columbia and Yale.

The Peking University troupe is cresting a new wave of cultural exchange and diplomacy between top Chinese and U.S. universities. The troupe, a branch of Peking University's Students Art Ensemble, performs traditional Chinese folk and modern dance, with members choreographing their own work.

Established in 1987, the troupe has choreographed 36 works and has participated in about 100 large-scale performances. The dynamic cast of the current U.S. tour is composed entirely of students attending Peking University. The touring program is a diverse selection representing the rich repertoires of the group's chorus, folk instrument, orchestra and dance ensembles. Varying from folk dances and Chinese national instruments to high-quality Western chamber music, from the soul-stirring folk songs of Sichuan to more familiar Western melodies, the performance is an event any music lover would hate to miss.

Through their performance, which transcends language and geographic boundaries, the members of the Peking University Performing Arts Troupe hope to bring joy to their audiences. The vitality and creativity embodied in their art is a window for mainstream American society to experience the spirit of the Chinese youth as well as a medium that enhances mutual understanding and friendship among young people in the world.

For photographs and more information on the troupe, visit this Web site: http://www.pkualumni.org/arttour/ .