Flourishing live performances satisfy China's artistic appetite

BEIJING, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The year 2023 has seen a significant rise in both the quality and quantity of cultural activities in China.

After pandemic-induced restrictions came to an end, a resurgence in the demand for high-quality cultural activities was evident among the people.

To address this need, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a circular in March, which stipulated that regional cultural authorities were to resume the examination and approval of foreign-related commercial performances starting from March 20.

Foreign artists, largely absent in the preceding years due to the pandemic, were back on the stage across China with their performances.

Meanwhile, as cultural venues lifted crowd control measures, the public again felt the joy of appreciating performances with full venues of fellow enthusiasts.

According to data from the ministry, in the first three quarters of 2023, a total of 342,000 commercial live performances were staged in China, attracting 111 million audiences.

In March, shortly after the release of the circular, the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing welcomed celebrated Russian conductor Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, one of the oldest musical ensembles in Russia. During the trip, the group put on high-quality renditions of renowned composers like Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Shostakovich.

Gergiev's visit with the orchestra marked the initiation of a series of performances by foreign artists at NCPA. Towards the end of 2022, NCPA President Wang Ning extended invitations to art institutions worldwide to come to China, eliciting a positive response from international artists and art institutions.

This has enabled the NCPA to organize performances and concerts by artists and art groups worldwide almost every month since March 2023.

According to the NCPA performance schedule, the center has already hosted nearly 20 artists and art groups from abroad this year for concerts. Notable names among them include pianist Rudolf Buchbinder and the Vienna Boys Choir.

In addition to performances held in esteemed cultural venues, numerous artists and art groups perform on stages that draw a broader audience.

Earlier this month, renowned jazz pianist Michael Kaeshammer performed before an electrifying audience at the Gulangyu Concert Hall in east China's coastal city of Xiamen. At this free concert, the artist performed a repertoire that included jazz adaptations of several traditional Chinese songs.

"We planned to stay indoors after dinner, but were surprised to learn about this free concert which is just a ten-minute walk from where we are staying," said Cheng Rusu, a tourist from Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

She added that all they had to do was register through the concert hall's WeChat public account.

Xiamen wasn't the only city that hosted jazz concerts this year. From Oct. 28 to Nov. 23, the 2023 Guangzhou Jazz Festival took place in south China's Guangdong Province, featuring performances by more than 40 world-class jazz musicians.

Hong Kong musician Andrew Tuason, who led his jazz ensemble at the festival, expressed amazement at the enthusiasm of the audience. "Before coming to Guangdong, I thought jazz music was no more than a niche on the mainland," he said. "I never expected to meet so many young jazz enthusiasts here, and the cultural atmosphere is welcoming."

According to him, in recent years, many artists from Hong Kong have chosen to expand their careers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

"I believe such opportunities can be very helpful in facilitating exchange and cooperation between Hong Kong and Guangdong in the music sector," he said.

Just as how the musician put it, art can build bridges between people of different social backgrounds and help forge enduring friendships.

This November, the U.S.-based Philadelphia Orchestra visited China, commemorating the anniversary of its China tour 50 years ago. In 1973, the renowned ensemble became the first U.S. art group to visit China, marking a thaw in the China-U.S. cultural exchange before the normalization of the two countries' diplomatic relations.

At the concert held in Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, the orchestra joined the local Suzhou Symphony Orchestra to perform musical works from the ode to friendship "Auld Lang Syne" to the traditional Chinese tune "Jasmine Flower."

"The Chinese audience really obviously loves music and we are very grateful as performers," said Davyd Booth, a veteran violinist with the orchestra who was part of the 1973 trip. "I think these trips have more and more shown us the connection between our countries and cities... This is one of the most important relationships that we have."

To inject new impetus into cultural exchange through live performances, major cultural organizations in China have already made plans for the coming year.

According to the China Theatre Association, a drama based on Victor Hugo's celebrated novel "Les Miserables" will be staged in 2024 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France. The play is slated to be directed by French director Jean Bellorini, with the acclaimed Chinese actor Liu Ye portraying the role of the protagonist, Jean Valjean.

Through this collaborative effort by Chinese and French artists, the audience can once again fully appreciate the splendor of this timeless literary masterpiece, said Wang Chunmei, deputy secretary-general of the theatre association.