CHINA DAILY Wednesday, February 3, 2021 | 17 YOUTH Lineup of events in US cities for Spring Festival NEW YORK — A number of cultural and entertainment activities will be held in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylva­ nia in February as part of Chi­ nese New Year celebrations, according to the Chinese consu­ late general in New York. Highlights include multiple online concerts, theatrical per­ formances, exhibitions, a photo contest, lighting ceremonies at landmark buildings as well as celebrations by several sports teams. Young artists from Chinese conservatories of music and US partners will jointly present a virtual concert with the theme “sounds of spring” on Saturday, said Qian Jin, The documentary film Days and Nights in Wuhan reveals how people from all walks of life tackled COVID­19. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY deputy consul general in New York, on Friday. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra will stage a virtual concert on Saturday and a week­ long festival prior to the concert to celebrate the Year of the Ox, according to the website of NJSO. Daily heroes The virtual festival will high­ light community performers and cultural groups, traditional A new documentary follows groups of people in Wuhan as they faced performances, cooking demon­ strations and others. emotional moments during the outbreak, Xu Fan reports. The Philadelphia Orchestra is set to present the Lunar New Year Celebration Concert start­ n Jan 23 last year, Wuhan, showing some of their most emo­ the dedication of medical staff came in various formats after being ing from Thursday, according to the city hit hardest by tional moments. despite the risk of getting infected, shot. its website. COVID­19 in China, Such shots include a severely ill and the tenacious vitality of patients “When the camera crew were Fort Lee Public Library will announced a lockdown in elderly man displaying his strong fighting the virus,” says Li. shooting in hospital wards, they had have several events to celebrate Oan effort to curb the spread of the will to live by listening to his grand­ “More importantly, we can see the to compete against time. They had Chinese New Year, featuring outbreak. Over the next 76 days of children’s poetry recitations on a respect for life. During the lock­ to put on thick protective outfits as family performance, cooking the lockdown in the capital of Cen­ portable player; an infected wom­ down, patients were all treated with well as use layers of plastic to entire­ and storytelling, according to tral China’s Hubei province, normal an yearning to reunite with her care, whether a man in his 80s or a ly cover the cameras to avoid being the schedule of events with the daily life halted — a sacrifice by the infant who was being treated in pregnant woman or a newborn infected, but that affected the equip­ library. residents of the city and the prov­ another hospital; and a young baby. You can see the weakest ment’s ability to shoot images clear­ The Empire State Building ince that helped other parts of the woman retrieving the belongings patients being tenderly cared for,” Li ly,” Cao says. will have a window exhibition on country. of her mother who had died of says about what led her to produce Despite the footage issues, the the Chinese zodiac starting from A Chinese documentary film, COVID­19. the documentary. director says she believes the authen­ Monday and hold a lighting cer­ Days and Nights in Wuhan, which A special volunteer team is also With a wish to showcase how this tic scenes captured during the most emony on Feb 10, according to takes a look back on the city’s battle featured in the film. Wang Ziyi, a unprecedented disaster brought out difficult time in Wuhan have the Qian. against the pandemic, debuted in 1988­born Wuhan native who led the best in the Chinese people and power to draw the audience. Lighting ceremonies will also theaters in late January, with many the team, organized drivers to send united them to fight together, Li “The reality and emotions are be held at other landmarks like in the audience saying they shed nearly 30 pregnant women in labor invited director Cao Jinling to helm more important than techniques,” One World Trade Center, The tears during its screening. to hospitals when most vehicles in the film, with the crew spending Cao says, adding that it’s a lesson Oculus, John F. Kennedy Inter­ “It’s not a film that just wants to Wuhan were busy transporting around five months focusing on the she’s learned from the renowned national Airport and the Bay­ praise heroes. Those featured in it coronavirus patients and relief job in a studio on the outskirts of cinematographer Mark Lee Ping­ onne Bridge. are ordinary people who are trying supplies. Beijing. bing, an award winner at the Berlin The Center for Chinese Art hard to live, making us see their China Movie Channel, which Having earlier worked as a police film festival. with William Paterson Uni­ greatness in an unusual time,” says presents Days and Nights in officer, Cao had shifted to the film In October, Cao alongside the versity of New Jersey will hold a viewer on the popular review Wuhan, had shifted its focus from industry after writing the script for film’s crew traveled to Wuhan in an an exhibition on Chinese aggregator Douban, on which the reporting film news to producing a South Korean director Kwak Jae­ attempt to seek new content as a woodblock prints from Feb movie has notched up 7.7 points out series of TV shows about the coun­ young’s 2014 film, Meet Miss Anxie­ backup for the almost­finished 10­28, with a virtual lecture of 10. try’s battle against the outbreak ty. After earning a doctorate from film. She was surprised to see the and presentation to be held on Singer­actress Zhou Xun sings the early last year. One of the shows the Central Academy of Drama, Cao city, with a population of 11 million, Feb 17. film’s theme song. featured 300 stars expressing their was handling postproduction work had recovered and a normalcy was Sport teams like the Brooklyn Spanning a runtime of 95 min­ good wishes and support to people of her directorial debut, Anima, back. Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers and utes, the film was edited from more in Wuhan. when she received Li’s invitation. “Although there is no way to avoid the New Jersey Devils are also than 1,000 hours of footage shot by Li Wei, chief producer and head of Despite keeping a close eye on the uncertainty and unhappiness in life, expected to celebrate the holi­ 31 cinematographers and camera the channel’s subsidiary website news about the outbreak back then, it’s important to keep on going with day. crew during the city’s lockdown. 1905.com, says the channel had Cao says she had never thought she courage, hope and love. That is the Chinese New Year, or Spring Unfolding through a restrained accumulated a large number of vid­ would direct such a film as the message our film wants to convey in Festival, is the most important narration without a continuous eo clips by March, laying the founda­ Director Cao Jinling (top) and theme was “too serious and heavy” this unusual time when the world is holiday for Chinese people voice­over heard in documentaries, tion for the documentary’s actress Zhou Xun, who sings for her. still fighting the pandemic,” she around the world. the film follows around 10 groups of production. the theme song of the film, A part of the preparation for the adds. The festival falls on Feb 12 individuals, ranging from patients “All of our crew were moved by the attend the premiere of Days and film was done before Cao joined the this year. battling COVID­19 to medical staff video material. In the footage, you Nights in Wuhan. project in April. Her initial chal­ Contact the writer at and volunteers at the forefront, can see the benevolence of doctors, PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY lenge was that the original footage [email protected] XINHUA.