18 | Wednesday, June 30, 2021 HONG KONG EDITION | DAILY YOUTH Chinese arts take center stage at summer festival

By Chen Nan to be held online. This year, as well [email protected] as welcoming back live audience members, the festival offers pro- Having established itself as one of grams, including acrobatics, puppet ’s biggest arts festivals for shows, ballet, traditional Chinese children during the summer vaca- musical instruments and classical tion since 1995, the annual Gateway music performances. to Arts 2021 Summer Festival will “With the travel restrictions take place at the Forbidden City caused by the pandemic, we Concert Hall starting from Sunday, couldn’t have international artists and will run through Aug 31. join us during the festival. However, With 10 mini summer camps it allows Chinese artists to present teaching children Western classical themselves and perform their crea- music, traditional Chinese operas tive programs,” says Xu. and traditional Chinese musical Highlights will include a concert instruments, as well as 69 live per- on Monday performed by violinist formances and 10 public lectures, Li Yuhe and pianist Yuan Jie, who the festival will run for 59 days dur- will perform programs including a ing the summer vacation. piece titled Hero Concerto, inspired On Sunday, Chinese conductor by composer Tan Dun’s original Tan Lihua will lead the Beijing Sym- soundtrack to Chinese director phony Orchestra to open the festival Zhang Yimou’s highly acclaimed with a concert at the Forbidden City martial arts film, Hero. The compos- Concert Hall, with both Western er will join in the concert at the For- and Chinese classic music pieces, bidden City Concert Hall and share including The Blue Danube, by Aus- the story of the piece’s creation. trian composer Johann Strauss II, Other musical works adapted Gold and Silver Waltz by Hungarian from movie soundtracks will Representative Party members from Fudan University who have reached 50 years of Party service as of July receive the “50 years of glory composer Franz Lehar, and I Love include Across the Stars from the in the Party” commemorative medals on June 24. gao erqiang / china daily You, China, a song released in 1979 movie, Star Wars: Episode II Attack and written by composer Zheng of the Clones, and Hedwig’s Theme, Qiufeng and lyricist Qu Cong. from the movie, Harry Potter and Tan has performed during the the Philosopher’s Stone. Gateway to Arts Summer Festival The Northern Kunqu Opera The- since it was launched and he has ater will present the classic Kunqu witnessed the evolution of the festi- Opera production, The Romance of val, which he describes as exciting. the West Chamber, written by Wang Onward and upward Formerly known as Gateway to Shifu, a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) Music, the festival was the idea of playwright, on July 27. notable Chinese musicians, includ- On Aug 16, 21-year-old jazz pian- ing Li Delun (1917-2001), Yang ist A Bu, whose real name is Dai Graduating students and CPC members at Fudan University urged to embrace Hongnian (1934-2020), both of Liang, will give a concert along with their social responsibilities in the next stage of their lives, reports. whom were conductors and music his musician friends: violinist Cao Chen educators, and violinist Sheng Zhang Yue, cellist Song Zhao and Zhongguo (1941-2018). bassist Wang Chenhuai, performing team of members of the “The goal was clear and simple repertories including A Bu’s own Communist Party of then. That was to offer children a composition Oriental Interlude and China who have served music festival which enabled them Confessions Op 2 for and piano as volunteers at an exhi- to get to know and enjoy classical composed by Derek Louie. bitionA on The Communist Manifes- music during their summer vaca- According to Xu, on Aug 23, harp- to at Fudan University in tion,” recalls Tan, 66. “Back in 1995, sichord player Jiang Yubin will per- Shanghai shared their achieve- was considered as a form a concert featuring music ments after receiving a letter from bit of a niche art form (in China), pieces by German composers Bach, President Xi Jinping last year, at a appreciated by only a small audi- Christian Petzold, and English com- conference held on Sunday. ence. We performed some of the poser Henry Purcell. It will be the In replying to a letter from the most well-known classical music first time that the harpsichord has team that was unveiled in June last pieces, especially music pieces appeared during the festival, which year, Xi, also general secretary of adapted from popular movies, hop- will allow children to learn about the Communist Party of China ing to appeal to children, who may the musical instrument. Central Committee, encouraged have not been familiar with classi- Xu adds that mini summer CPC members to build firm ideals cal music.” camps are so popular among chil- and convictions and strive to fulfill “We are happy to see that, over dren that tickets sold out fast. This the Party’s original aspiration and the past two decades, classical year, the 10 summer camps will offer mission. music has gained a large fan base in training on musical instruments Xi called on all CPC members, China, not only among the adults including pipa and harp, as well as especially the younger generation, but also children, many of whom art forms, such as Peking Opera and to conscientiously study Marxist are learning musical instruments chorus. theory and the history of the Party, now,” says Tan. “The festival offers For the first time, Kunqu Opera, New China, the reform and open- them an opportunity to develop an one of the oldest traditional Chi- ing-up and the development of interest in the art form, which can nese operas with a history of over socialism. be fun.” 600 years, guqin, a zither-like sev- According to Xu Yayun, one of He says the festival has become en-stringed traditional Chinese the team leaders and a doctoral an inseparable part of his career. instrument, and xun, a globular, student from the Chinese lan- As a student representative, “When I look back, it’s a great flutelike traditional Chinese instru- guage and literature school at Arshad Hussain from Pakistan experience to be part of the festival, ment, will be introduced at the Fudan, the number of team mem- majoring in clinical medicine which is long-lasting and success- summer camps. bers surged from 30 to 64 over the shared his insights on the five ful,” he says. “Children are curious “Art education is a vital aspect of past year. years he spent at the university. and eager to learn. We want to offer what we do as professional musi- Interpreting skills at the exhibi- He regarded his time at Fudan them a great experience of enjoying cians. The summer camps allow tion are improved as well, as all as the best and the most memora- music. They don’t necessarily need students to learn a musical instru- team members are required to ble of his life so far. to become professional musicians. ment from scratch. I’m glad to see read various historical documents “Local residents invited me to It’s good enough for them to just that some of them have continued before volunteering. In addition, dance in open squares in Yangpu have music as a part of their lives.” to learn those musical instruments the team is able to serve a global district near the university, an In 2008, the festival was renamed after the summer camps, and that audience now, as multilingual impressive experience demon- the Gateway to Arts Summer Festi- some students even decide to pur- manuscripts covering English, strating the enthusiasm of Chi- val to incorporate a greater diversity sue a professional musical career,” French and Japanese have been nese people. I also got familiar of art forms alongside classical says pipa player Zhang Hongyan, created. with Chinese customs, such as music. who started to play the traditional Official data showed the team receiving red envelopes with lucky Xu Jian, the organizer of the festi- Chinese four-stringed musical has served 24,000 people at the money at New Year’s Eve and val and general manager of the ven- instrument at the age of 7, studying exhibition at Fudan and received when my best Chinese friend took ue, notes that last year, due to the with his father, also a pipa player. honors including the national pio- me to a traditional wedding,” says COVID-19 pandemic, the event had As a teacher at the Central Con- neering team award for its efforts Top: Fudan University holds an event to celebrate the 100th Hussain. servatory of Music in Beijing, she in spreading Party theory. anniversary of the founding of the CPC on June 24. Above: Young “I didn’t feel unfamiliar in a for- launched a pipa summer camp for More celebration activities were members take the Party oath at the same event. eign country, because of the peo- the festival 10 years ago. This year, held at Fudan, which is home to photos by gao erqiang / china daily ple around me.” she will conduct lessons, along with 20,858 Party members. In the past He adds that during his stay in some of her students from the con- year, schools at Fudan took turns China, since the outbreak of the servatory, from July 14 to 16. to showcase a total of 300 activities graduate study, over 8,000 stu- when completing further study at COVID-19 pandemic, he witnessed With the support of Beijing Poly held by their Party groups every dents graduated from Fudan Uni- university was the only way to the country, with its population of Theater Management Co, the festi- week to celebrate the 100th anni- versity in Shanghai this summer, secure a good job and strive for over 1.4 billion, successfully con- val will bring art programs to chil- versary of the establishment of the carrying hopes for the future with success in China. taining the spread of the virus. dren in over 60 Chinese cities. CPC. them. “For most people of my age, uni- “I hope to devote myself to the In addition, a total of 806 Party At the commencement ceremo- versity admission changed our medical industry when I return to members from Fudan received the ny held on Friday, the university’s destiny in a way like no other, my hometown and contribute to “50 years of glory in the Party” com- principal Xu Ningsheng encour- which means there was no need to cultural exchanges between China memorative medals awarded by aged graduates to embrace their be worried about the future or and Pakistan,” says Hussain, who the CPC Central Committee for the social responsibilities as they finding a way to make a living and will further his study in the derma- first time this year to members of moved on to the next phase of their get out of poverty,” says Zhang. tology department at Shanghai’s the CPC who have reached 50 years life. “It’s completely different today, Huashan Hospital affiliated with of Party service as of Thursday. Xu motivated graduates to when younger generations are free Fudan University for a master’s The university also gave custom- “understand the world filled with to choose whatever path they like degree. ized greetings cards and note- changes, grasp China’s role on the for their life. It’s the result of the The bustling commencement books to 1,163 Party members who global stage, and link individual rapid economic growth, prosperi- season at Fudan was also marked have reached 10 years of Party ser- development with the country’s ty and technological advancement with best wishes to students from vice as of Thursday as motivation goals and the construction of a in the country,” he adds. the university. Twenty-four moving for each Party member to keep in community with a shared future “As our university song goes, we messages to graduates are projec- mind their responsibilities to the for mankind”. should have our homeland in ted onto the streets on campus, people and dedication to their Zhang Jun, dean at the school of mind, be concerned about the attracting students to take pictures career. economics at Fudan, expressed his world ... and innovate to make the and share online on social net- This year’s commencement sea- expectations of the graduates in future. I hope confidence is working platforms. Top: Pianist Huang Yameng and her 9-year-old daughter, Liao son coincides with the celebration his address at the ceremony. instilled in you and you will Mengjia, perform at the Forbidden City Concert Hall on June 18. of the centenary of the CPC. Finish- Zhang, also a Fudan alumnus, become stronger after gradua- Contact the writer at Above: Female pipa players from the Central Conservatory of Music ing their undergraduate and post- recalled the time, decades ago, tion,” Zhang told the graduates. [email protected] onstage at the same event. photos provided to china daily