Feature: Pakistan, China celebrate friendship through folk music concert

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- On the dark Friday night when the air in Islamabad was getting chilly in the light winter drizzle, the hearts of people inside the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) were feeling the warmth of friendship between Pakistan and China by watching mesmerizing performances of Pakistani and Chinese artists.

The weekend night celebrated the friendship between the two countries, for which the China Cultural Center in Pakistan and China's Hebei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism with the collaboration of PNCA jointly produced a China-Pakistan Folk Music Concert to highlight the bilateral ironclad friendship.

The Chinese artists sang folk songs and performed in Chinese orchestras whereas the Pakistani artists narrated folklores through dance performances and played melodies of famous folk songs on traditional musical instruments.

Acting director General of PNCA Ayoub Jamali believes that folk music connects people to their roots, and by listening to the folk music of each other, the people of Pakistan and China developed a spiritual connection with each other's roots.

"In today's fast life and loud music, the soft folk melodies not only soothe hearts but also give a better understanding of culture and history. Today's performances gave a glance at the cultural roots of Pakistan and China, and the audience got a better understanding of the history and traditions of both countries," Jamali told Xinhua.

In the 80-minute long online concert, performances of "Battling Against Typhoon" on Guzheng, and musical "Date Harvest" using Suona were highly appreciated by Pakistani audiences whereas musical performances by Pakistani artists such as Pakistani folk tunes of Rubab and Tabla also received applause.

In a conversation with Xinhua, Nauman Khan, a 25-year-old visitor, said that it was the first time when he got the chance to listen to and watch a Chinese-style orchestra, adding that he is looking forward to seeing Chinese troupes in Pakistan and performing them live for the Pakistani audience.

"Pakistanis take a great interest in Chinese cultural performances because it connects them with China, and are unique in manner. With ease in restrictions of COVID-19 in China, we are also hoping to receive Chinese troupes again so that Pakistanis can enjoy it again," Jamali said.

The Pakistani and Chinese artists also collaborated on two songs "Jasmine Flower" of China and "Rim Jhim" of Pakistan.

"The artists were playing melodies of folk songs by using their traditional musical instruments, but the notes being heard were of friendship, which are the sweetest notes of all," Khan said to Xinhua.