CULTURE

Opening of the China Philharmonic Orchestra Music Season 2023-2024

Date:September 2-4,2023

Venue:National Center for the Performing Arts

The China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO),established in 2000,is China’s top orchestra and a leading figure in Asia with an international reputation.Its excellent performance is marked by something striking:In the spring of 2009,Gramophone named “the world’s top 10 most influential orchestras,” and among them were listed the CPO,Berliner Philharmoniker,London Symphony Orchestra,and New York Philharmonic.The CPO actively pursues innovative methods and platforms to promote classical music to a wider audience.

Philippe Entremont Piano Recital

Date:September 8,2023

Venue:National Center for the Performing Arts

Philippe Entremont is one of the world’s most famous pianists as well as one of the most recorded artists in history.Born in Reims,France,he debuted at Carnegie Hall in New York at the age of 18 playing the piano concertos of Jolivet and Liszt.Philippe has served on the juries of the greatest piano competi-tions in the world,including the ARD Music Competition,the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition,the Van Cliburn International Piano Compe-tition,and the Leeds International Piano Competition.He has been honored with many prestigious awards.

China Cultural Center in Malta Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The China Cultural Center in Malta celebrated its 20th anniversary on July 22 with a series of events jointly organized with the Xi’an Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism.

A pair of terracotta warrior replicas from Xi’an,the capital of China’s Shaanxi Province,were donated to the Chinese Garden of Serenity.The donation ceremony was followed by an outdoor concert featuring traditional Chinese music and dancing performed by artists from Xi’an.

At the opening of the concert,Chinese Ambassador to Malta Yu Dunhai said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malta more than 50 years ago,they have established a profound friendship.The China Cultural Center in Malta has taken part in cultural exchanges,teaching,and training,Yu pointed out.It has also created cultural projects including Chinese New Year celebrations,a Chinese kite festival,and the “Imagine China” children’s art competition.It has become an important window for Maltese people to understand China,and will continue playing an important role in enhancing the friendship and people-to-people exchanges between China and Malta,he said.

Culture has played an important part in the development of the friendship between the peoples of Malta and China,said Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca,chair of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society.“We are marking another significant milestone as we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China Cultural Center in Malta,” she said.“This is not just a milestone for Malta but also a watershed moment for Europe,as this China Cultural Center was the first of its kind in Europe.”

Charmaine St John,mayor of Santa Lucija,said that the friendship between China and Malta has always been based on equality and mutual benefit,and she hopes to see more cultural interaction between the two countries in the Garden of Serenity in the future.

Civilizations of the Great Rivers Held in Ningbo Museum

The “Civilizations of the Great Rivers” exhibition,which is the result of collaboration between Chinese and Italian cultural institutions,was held in Ningbo Museum in east China’s Zhejiang Province in July.

There are approximately 200 cultural relics on display in the exhibition,including 108 artifacts from four Italian museums,and artifacts from 13 Chinese cultural institutions.Items on show include seals and pottery from the Euphrates-Tigris river basin;mummified animals and painted wooden coffins from ancient Egypt;painted Harappan pottery from the Indus River Valley;and colorful pottery,jade articles,bronze ware,and porcelain dating back to early Chinese history from the Yellow River Basin and the Yangtze River Basin.

“By displaying artifacts from different civilizations that were formed by great rivers in one exhibition,we hope to help people understand more of the rise and fall,the continuity and rupture,and the communication and mutual learning of these civilizations,provoking deep reflection on the eternal topics of human development and coexistence,” said Xu Qin,who works at Ningbo Museum and organized the exhibition.

Cultural and archaeological communities in China and Italy have maintained close communication.Ningbo Museum has successfully collaborated with several Italian museums to hold exhibitions during recent years.

Paris Event Showcases a Poetic Jiangsu

The China Cultural Center in Paris held a special event presenting a poetic Jiangsu to the French public in July.

Titled “Tea for Harmony -Yaji Cultural Salon of Jiangsu,” the event selected representative intangible cultural heritage items from east China’s Jiangsu Province to present its rich tea culture and provide a panoramic view of local lifestyles associated with tea.

Yaji,which translates to “elegant gathering,” harks back to an ancient type of social event in China where scholars and literati gathered to indulge in a variety of refined cultural activities such as tea tasting,guqin(the traditional Chinese zither) playing,and poetry composition and recital.

The Paris event featured activities including tea tasting,demonstrations of teamaking techniques and tea art,displays of Jiangsu’s intangible cultural heritage items,calligraphy and traditional music performances.

What stole the limelight was a virtual exhibition presented in a panoramic way using virtual 3D modeling technology and a 360-degree rotating interface.Featuring 40 exhibits including embroidered silk fabric,jewelry,musical instruments,costumes of Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera,as well as incense utensils,the virtual show recreated traditional lifestyles and home environments from Jiangsu.