Renowned Chinese mainland director Zhang Yimou lavished praise on a version of "Turandot" performed in Taichung on Saturday, saying it was distinctive.

Zhang said performers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait brought a diversity to the production that resulted in a very special performance.

The production involved 400 mainland performers and local people, including 300 students and teachers from "National Taiwan Sports University" and 20 children.

It was the first time for the opera to be performed in Taiwan.

"It's a Chinese story, so it has a special effect when staged by Chinese people," Zhang said.

"There will be more and more cross-Strait cultural exchanges," Zhang said. "It is something we all expect."

Zhang is set to stage another performance of Giacomo Puccini's opera at Taichung International Baseball Stadium on Sunday.

Zhang, the director of the opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympic Games, directed a version of "Turandot" performed at the National Stadium, or Bird's Nest, on Oct. 6 last year to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China.

He first staged the opera at the Forbidden City on the mainland in 1998.

The three-act "Turandot," originating in Persian fable and set in China, concerns a princess so desirable that admirers come in the thousands from around the world to court her. Any suitor who wants to wed her must answer her three vexing riddles. They are beheaded if they fail to answer correctly.