China donates giant walking piano to Egyptian children with special needs

People attend a donation ceremony of a walking piano in Cairo, Egypt, on July 5, 2022. Egyptian children with disabilities can now enjoy playing the walking piano after the Chinese embassy in Egypt donated the big instrument to a local non-governmental organization for children with special needs. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian children with disabilities can now enjoy playing the walking piano after the Chinese embassy in Egypt donated the big instrument to a local non-governmental organization for children with special needs.

"Such a special piano is different from ordinary ones," Yang Ronghao, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy in Egypt and director of the China Cultural Center in Cairo, told Xinhua.

"It helps cultivate children's artistic perception, and enhance their artistic ability and accomplishment," he noted while delivering the piano to the Awladna Foundation for the Arts of Children with Special Needs at the center on Tuesday.

Yang expressed hope that such activities will promote exchanges and cooperation between children of the two countries in various fields such as art, music and painting.

The walking piano, also known as the big piano and floor piano, is an oversized electronic keyboard. Merging dance, music, and play, the big piano is played by the user's feet tapping the keys to make music.

The eight-meter long floor piano, which was built especially for the Awaldna Foundation, is the first of its kind in Egypt.

"I cannot describe how happy I am to receive this priceless gift. This piano will help us improve the outstanding artistic talents of our children," said Soheir Abdel-Kader, founder and president of the Awladna Foundation and Awladna International Forum, which is an international art forum for people with special needs.

She noted that the piano will enable the foundation to help children build a new talent and develop their artistic skills.

"China provides cultural support through its cooperation with the Egyptian government and many cultural and artistic institutions in the country. Cultural cooperation and exchange between the two countries have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, which enhance the spirit of friendship and cooperation between the Egyptian and Chinese peoples," Abdel-Kader added.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to the world, cooperation between China and Egypt in various fields, including cultural exchange, has not stalled over the pandemic.

During the pandemic, symphony orchestras from China and Egypt jointly presented several wonderful online concerts to the audience of the two countries. The China Cultural Center in Cairo also held online lectures and exhibitions through social media. 

People attend a donation ceremony of a walking piano in Cairo, Egypt, on July 5, 2022. Egyptian children with disabilities can now enjoy playing the walking piano after the Chinese embassy in Egypt donated the big instrument to a local non-governmental organization for children with special needs. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)