STORY: Britain's Bristol celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival with Chinese artists
DATELINE: Sept. 25, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:05
LOCATION: BRISTOL, Britain
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of performances 
2. SOUNDBITE (English): KATE NEWNHAM, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery senior collections officer

STORYLINE:

Many in Bristol in southwest England had an early taste of the Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere on Saturday afternoon thanks to an acclaimed cultural show presented by Chinese artists from Bristol's sister city Guangzhou.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival symbolizing family reunions. It falls on Sept. 29 this year.

Under the theme "All Under One Moon," the show comprising dances, acrobatics, puppets play, Cantonese opera and music, took place at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
   
The artists were from five teams based in Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, including Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre, Guangzhou Acrobatic Arts Theatre, Guangzhou Cantonese Opera Theatre, Guangdong Province Puppet Art Theatre, and Guangdong Music and Folk Art Troupe.
   
The show kicked off with vigorous Yingge Dance, a form of folk dance popular in the Chaoshan area in eastern Guangdong province.
   
Mesmerized by the performances, the audience busily captured the brilliant moments with their cameras and mobile phones. They cheered the performers, particularly those of the acrobatic show "Ballet on Shoulders -- Oriental Swan," which combines Western classical ballet and traditional Chinese acrobatics, and has won the Golden Clown Award, the highest award in the acrobatic field.
   
"It was so amazing. Really, really cool. I love the acrobatics," said Maya, a 12-year-old Bristol girl.

Kate Newnham, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery senior collections officer, told Xinhua that it was the first time the Moon Festival was celebrated at the museum, which often celebrates the Chinese Lunar New Year.

SOUNDBITE (English): KATE NEWNHAM, Bristol Museum and Art Gallery senior collections officer
"For us in Bristol, it's a particularly happy time as we welcome the students back to Bristol, University of Bristol, University of the West of England. We have many Chinese students amongst them, so for them, for us together celebrate this aspect of Chinese culture, but also the harvest time, which we do in the UK anyway, is really fantastic."

The show also marks the first time the "All Under One Moon" project of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been initiated in Bristol.
   
Li Liyan, minister counsellor for cultural affairs of the Chinese Embassy in Britain, said that he believes this event is a microcosm of the cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Britain, as well as a testament to the flourishing relationship between Guangzhou and Bristol.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bristol, Britain.
(XHTV)