Introduction
In discussions about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) overseas influence operations, public attention often focuses on diplomats, business associations, or political lobbying organizations. Less attention is paid to cultural institutions and artistic networks that operate across the global Chinese diaspora.
One illustrative case is Hu Xi (胡茜), a professional singer employed by Madrid's Royal Theatre (Teatro Real or Royal Opera House) who simultaneously serves as Art Director of the Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group (马德里华星艺术团). Her career highlights the intersection between China's state-directed overseas cultural programs and the CCP's United Front system.
The significance of this relationship is not necessarily that Hu Xi herself is a political operative. Rather, her activities illustrate how cultural figures can become part of organizational networks established and promoted by institutions that are now directly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
Military and State Educational Background
According to publicly available biographical information, Hu Xi graduated from:
The People's Liberation Army Arts Academy (中国人民解放军艺术学院)
The Central Conservatory of Music (中央音乐学院)
The People's Liberation Army Arts Academy was not an ordinary civilian arts institution. It operated directly under the Chinese military system and served as one of the principal training institutions for military performers and cultural personnel.
For decades, the academy played an important role in producing artists who participated in the CCP's political and propaganda system, including military cultural performances, political celebrations, and state-sponsored artistic activities.
After completing her studies in China, Hu Xi entered the Madrid Higher Singing School in 2007 and later joined Madrid's Royal Opera House in 2015.
Her professional success in Spain reflects a legitimate and accomplished artistic career. However, her simultaneous role within the Hua Xing network places her within a broader organizational framework linked to Beijing's overseas cultural strategy.
What Is the Hua Xing Arts Group Network?
The Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group is not an isolated local cultural club.
According to reports from Chinese-language media and statements by its own leadership, the Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group is one of approximately forty-two Hua Xing Arts Groups established worldwide under the authorization of China's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO).
At a 2025 Lunar New Year Gala in Madrid, the organization's president publicly stated:
"The Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group is one of the 42 Hua Xing Arts Groups established under the authorization of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council."
The organization was formally registered in 2016 and has organized more than one hundred cultural activities and performances since its establishment.
This statement is significant because it identifies the group's institutional origin directly: it was not merely founded by local community members but was officially recognized through a program created by China's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.
The 2018 Transformation: OCAO Becomes Part of the CCP
Understanding the significance of Hua Xing requires examining what happened to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in 2018.
Under the CCP's "Plan for Deepening the Reform of Party and State Institutions" (深化党和国家机构改革方案), the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office ceased to operate as an independent State Council agency.
The official State Council institutional notice (Guofa [2018] No. 6) declared:
The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council shall be represented by a signboard attached to the Central United Front Work Department, which shall undertake the relevant responsibilities.
The same reform transferred the State Administration for Religious Affairs into the United Front Work Department.
In practical terms:
OCAO's functions were absorbed by the CCP.
OCAO personnel and responsibilities moved into the United Front Work Department (UFWD).
The OCAO name remained for external use.
Ultimate authority shifted to the CCP's United Front system.
As a result, overseas cultural programs previously administered by OCAO became programs administered through the CCP's United Front apparatus.
A critical but often overlooked fact is that the 2018 restructuring originated within the Chinese Communist Party itself.
According to the Communiqué of the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中国共产党第十九届中央委员会第三次全体会议公报), the Plan for Deepening the Reform of Party and State Institutions was adopted at the Third Plenum of the CCP Central Committee, convened under the leadership of the CCP Politburo on February 28, 2018.
The reform was therefore not simply an administrative adjustment by the State Council. It was a Party-directed restructuring of the Chinese political system.
The plan abolished the independent entity status of several state agencies, including:
- The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO);
- The State Administration for Religious Affairs.
Both institutions were absorbed into the CCP's United Front Work Department (UFWD), while retaining their external nameplates.
The State Council's official institutional notice (Guofa [2018] No. 6) subsequently confirmed:
"The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council shall be represented by a signboard attached to the Central United Front Work Department, which shall undertake the relevant responsibilities."
This distinction is important.
After 2018, organizations that had previously interacted with OCAO were no longer interacting with an government agency. They were interacting with an entity whose powers were exercised directly by the CCP's United Front Work Department.
Hua Xing as a United Front Cultural Network
Chinese state media have repeatedly described Hua Xing Arts Groups as an official overseas cultural initiative.
According to People's Daily and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office publications, Hua Xing groups were established to:
Promote Chinese culture overseas.
Unite overseas Chinese artistic talent.
Organize cultural performances.
Strengthen ties between overseas Chinese communities and China.
These objectives closely mirror the broader mission of the CCP's overseas Chinese affairs system.
Following the 2018 institutional reforms, the organizational framework supporting Hua Xing became part of the United Front Work Department's responsibilities.
Consequently, Hua Xing should not be viewed merely as an informal collection of community arts organizations. It is more accurately understood as an overseas cultural network originally established by an agency whose functions are now exercised directly by the CCP's United Front system.
Hu Xi's Position Within This Structure
Hu Xi serves as the Art Director of the Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group while simultaneously working at Madrid's Royal Opera House.
Her role demonstrates how Beijing's overseas cultural networks often draw upon highly accomplished artists living abroad.
As Art Director, she contributes professional expertise, artistic leadership, and cultural credibility to an organization that openly identifies itself as part of the global Hua Xing network established by China's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.
It establishes that she occupies a leadership position within an organization whose institutional lineage runs directly through the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and, since 2018, the CCP's United Front Work Department.
The Presence of Chinese Diplomatic and United Front Networks
The 2025 Madrid Hua Xing Spring Festival Gala further illustrates the political significance of the organization.
The event was attended by:
Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing.
Officials from the Chinese Embassy.
Leaders of overseas Chinese associations.
Leaders of organizations promoting China's reunification agenda.
Representatives of the local Chinese community.
Such participation is consistent with a long-established pattern in which overseas Chinese cultural organizations function as gathering points connecting:
Chinese diplomatic missions.
Overseas Chinese associations.
United Front-linked organizations.
Cultural and educational institutions.
The result is an ecosystem in which cultural activities, community engagement, and political outreach frequently overlap.
Conclusion
The relationship between Hu Xi and the Chinese Communist Party should be understood through institutions rather than assumptions about personal beliefs.
Publicly available evidence shows that:
Hu Xi received training at the People's Liberation Army Arts Academy.
She currently works at Madrid's Royal Opera House.
She serves as Art Director of the Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group.
The Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group is part of a global network officially established under the authorization of China's Overseas Chinese Affairs Office.
In 2018, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office was absorbed into the CCP's United Front Work Department.
Therefore, while Hu Xi is primarily known as a professional artist, she also occupies a leadership role within an overseas cultural organization whose institutional roots are directly connected to a CCP-controlled United Front system.
Consequently, when organizations such as the Madrid Hua Xing Arts Group describe themselves as entities authorized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the relevant institutional question is no longer merely their relationship with a former State Council office. Since 2018, the functions, personnel, and authority of that office have been incorporated into the CCP's United Front Work Department. Any analysis of the Hua Xing network therefore requires understanding its place within the CCP's broader United Front system.
This case illustrates a broader reality: many overseas Chinese cultural organizations that appear purely artistic or community-oriented are embedded within networks that Beijing has spent decades building through its overseas Chinese affairs and United Front apparatus.
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