16 | Tuesday, January 12, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | DAILY LIFE

any people just wanted to say goodbye to 2020 because of the COVID­ 19 pandemic. And Mmany celebrated New Year’s Eve by watching galas online or on TV from the comfort of their homes. On Dec 31, Chinese streaming platform Bilibili broadcast its 4.5­hour gala, featuring a star­stud­ ded cast that included pianist Lang Lang, rock singer­songwriter Cui Jian and rock band Mayday. The gala was viewed 120 million times within 48 hours. Featuring programs from Bei­ jing, , Hong Kong and Tai­ pei, the gala, titled The Most Beautiful Night of 2020, had a “rebirth” theme, in a bid to inspire people after the most challenging Traditional Chinese art forms take on a fresh look at Bilibili’s year­ year of the 21st century to move for­ end gala show. Highlights include Qiu Jirong’s performance of tradi­ ward into the future and to give tional operas (left) and musician Wu Tong’s adaptations of popular them support and encouragement. songs with the Chinese wind instrument, the sheng (above). PHOTOS The countdown to the new year PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY was livestreamed from Wuhan, Hubei province, featuring River cruise ship horns and a light was overwhelming, and we tried to producer Tony Igy, and il vento d’oro, show. A nine­minute performance make it even better the second year,” commonly known as Giorno’s Theme, led by artist Qiu Jirong Streams of dreams says Yang Liang. by Japanese composer Yugo Kanno. received warm feedback from fans “The site is home to young Chinese, Wu, who comes from a prominent because it gave the traditional art who grew up with such cultural influ­ family of sheng makers in , form a contemporary twist. The video site Bilibili presents a New Year gala that ences as animation, games, films and didn’t fall in love with the instru­ The performance, titled Jing Hong TV shows. We want to create a differ­ ment until he was 11 years old, when (The Elegance of Traditional Opera), appeals to younger viewers, Chen Nan reports. ent gala tailored to their tastes.” he first improvised with the sheng. was set in Qiu’s dreams, where he A diversity of performances are After enrolling in the Central Con­ combined contemporary dance and featured in the gala, such as sym­ servatory of Music in Beijing in classic pieces from six Chinese art phony orchestras, Chinese folk 1990, Wu and his classmates formed forms: Peking Opera, Opera, with him,” says Qiu Jirong, whose jects, such as the dance production about the traditional operas. music and hip­hop. Lunhui, a rock band that played Chi­ Opera, Pingju Opera, father, Qiu Shaorong, was also a cele­ Under Siege by dancer­choreogra­ “They’re intrigued by traditional The opening act was inspired by nese instruments and guitar. Chuanju Opera and Bangzi. brated Peking Opera performer. pher Yang Liping and 2047 Apo­ Chinese operas, as long as we let the hit game Cyberpunk 2077 and Wu is also a member of the Silk Qiu walked and danced, and logue, a concept stage show by them see the beauty of the old art in featured parkour on an augmented Road Ensemble, a crossover music interacted with performers playing Targeting youth renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou. a creative way,” Qiu Jirong says. reality­based stage, accompanied by project initiated by celebrated cellist the classic pieces. Audiences The performance reached a cli­ “I have absorbed various influen­ Yang Liang, the curator of Bilibi­ a symphony orchestra conducted by Yo­Yo Ma in 1998. enjoyed the power and beauty of the max with Qiu Jirong sitting in front ces from different art forms, which li’s 2021 New Year’s Eve gala, says Zhao Zhao, who also directed the “The songs we performed in the traditional Chinese art forms. of a desk, painting his face with has broadened my vision as an art­ that unlike some other year­end gala’s music. Along with the orches­ gala are well­known by the viewers. His dream ended with the classic Peking Opera makeup. It impressed ist and enabled me to look at Peking shows by Chinese TV stations that tra, acclaimed pianist Lang Lang, I adapted the songs with my musical Peking Opera piece, Zha Mei An (The many fans. Opera from a fresh perspective,” feature spectacles and celebrities, who has over 910,000 fans on Bilibili, instrument, which is a good way for Execution of Chen Shimei). An origi­ “I respect my family’s artistic tradi­ says Qiu Jirong. Bilibili has been positioning itself as opened the performance with song­ the audience to get to know the nal soundtrack from the 1964 Peking tion very much. So, my hand was Unlike his previous crossover an alternative platform tailored for writer Brian Tyler’s Marvel Studios sheng,” says Wu. Opera movie Qin Xianglian featured shaking when I picked up the brush to performances, which he presented China’s Generation Z — those born Fanfare, which is the music that “I am adventurous and want to in the last part of Qiu’s performance. paint my face. I was emotional,” he solo, Jing Hong was his first time between 1990 and 2009. opens nearly every Marvel movie. show people that the instrument is Qiu danced to the song by his grand­ says. Qiu Jirong started learning working with artists of other tradi­ Founded in 2009, Bilibili started full of potential.” father, Qiu Shengrong (1915­71), who Peking Opera skills when he was 9 tional Chinese operas. as a small interest­based online New twist of old sounds died before Qiu Jirong was born. years old. He graduated from the “There are some similarities community for China’s anime fans Another highlight was The Sound Contact the writer at Qiu Shengrong was one of the National Academy of Chinese Theater among these traditional art forms, to share videos. The company has of Sheng, performed by Wu Tong and [email protected] best­known Peking Opera artists and Arts and later became a Peking Opera but we showcased the essence of more than 190 million monthly a symphony orchestra, in which Wu developed a new performance style, actor. Despite his family’s Peking each of them,” says Qiu Jirong. active users and became the first displayed the versatility of the sheng, Online known as the “Qiu school”. Opera background, he has also tried Many viewers commented online Chinese streaming site to host a a 3,000­year­old wind instrument. Watch the video of Qiu “When I heard my grandfather’s to adapt to modern art forms. while watching the show, saying year­end gala on Dec 31, 2019. Wu adapted songs popular with Jirong’s performance voice, I felt like I had traveled back to He learned contemporary dance that they were moved by the per­ “The pressure from wanting to young people, such as Astronomia, by scanning the code. his heyday and had a conversation and has performed in crossover pro­ formance and wanted to know more continue the success of the first gala an electronic dance­music track by