STORY: Chinese traditional melody brings spring spirit to Romanians
SHOOTING DATE: Jan. 20, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 23, 2025
LENGTH: 00:03:18
LOCATION: Bucharest
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LAURENTIU DRAGAN, Attendee
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YU HAIYING, Artistic director of the ensemble

STORYLINE:

A Chinese traditional music concert enchanted an audience of nearly 800 at the Romanian Athenaeum early this week, with melodies portraying the vibrant spirit of spring -- high mountains, flowing waters, singing orioles and dancing swallows.

The "2025 Happy Spring Festival" Chinese traditional music concert, performed by the Wenying Jiangnan Sizhu ensemble from Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, opened with the lively "Dance of the Golden Snake."

The ensemble then showcased the serene charm of water towns of the Jiangnan region in southern China through pieces like The Beauty of Jiangnan, Tea Picking Dance and Water Lotus, featuring traditional wind and string instruments such as the pipa, erhu and bamboo flute.

A passionate performance of Galloping War Horses and a rendition of the Romanian folk tune Skylark brought the audience to their feet.

The evening marked the orchestra's debut in Romania and celebrated the recent UNESCO recognition of the Spring Festival as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage.

Laurentiu Dragan, an attendee, praised the concert as "a wonderful way to share Chinese culture" and expressed hope for more cultural exchanges, including Romanian artists performing in China and Chinese dancers and singers visiting Romania.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): LAURENTIU DRAGAN, Attendee
"We heard about the Chinese music and all the cultural things. It was original music and good feeling with peaceful feelings and relaxation. It's a good way to present the Chinese culture, Chinese music to Romanians and also in the future, I think, to be a very good way to increase this exchange. For example, to make an exchange, to invite Romanian bands and Romanian dancers to come to China, and also the Chinese dancers and singers to come to Romania."

Yu Haiying, artistic director of the ensemble, highlighted the joy of cultural interaction with local musicians during the rehearsals, emphasizing that music transcends borders.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): YU HAIYING, Artistic director of the ensemble
"We have been to many countries, but this is our first time to perform in Romania. Here, we found that they seem to have deeper interest and greater knowledge of Chinese culture. During our rehearsal, there were also many Romanian people who love Chinese culture who came to talk to us."

The night before, the ensemble also exchanged with students and teachers at Dinu Lipatti National College of Arts in Bucharest, where the shared appreciation for instruments like the yangqin further strengthened cultural ties.

Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Traian Hristea emphasized the importance of people-to-people contacts in enriching societies of both countries for decades and fostering understanding and appreciation of Romanian and Chinese heritages.

The event was jointly organized by the Bucharest Chinese Cultural Center and Zhejiang Conservatory of Music, with support from the Chinese embassy in Romania.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bucharest.
(XHTV)