The second episode of "The Beauty of Shared Arts," a large-scale program of international cultural exchanges co-produced by China Media Group (CMG) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, was aired at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday on CCTV-1. The episode took audiences on a journey through the legendary stories of the Silk Road, featuring an African painting exhibition held on the Chinese Space Station, the Arctic "Ice Silk Road" between China and Russia, the world's largest narrative carpet and New Zealand's Rewi Alley, one of the "Top Ten International Friends of China" awardees.

'Reaching for the Stars and Diving into the Sea' – an international art exhibition at the China Space Station

As a one-of-a-kind cosmic art exhibition unfolded in China's space station, astronauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao took viewers on an expressive visual tour of paintings created by African artists, beaming their vibrant, culturally inspired creations to Earth. At the end of May, ten winning paintings from the "My Dreams" painting competition for African youth made their way to the China Space Station aboard the Shenzhou-16 manned spacecraft. In this episode, "The Beauty of Shared Arts" featured three of these remarkable African artists to share the tales behind their artworks and their dreams of venturing into space.

Following this extraordinary cosmic exhibition, the program set its sights on the distant Arctic. In July 2017, the leaders of China and Russia initiated a cooperation project for building an Arctic shipping route, envisioning an Ice Silk Road. In this episode, Shi Xuefa and Yuri Vasilenko, chief scientists for the Arctic expeditions from the two sides, unveiled the secrets of this extraordinary passage that has captured the spotlight over recent years, sharing how the route unites East and West in its own unique way. Moreover, the two experts also presented the achievements of three China-Russia Arctic expeditions, which included the world's first 1:3,000,000 map of sediment types in the Arctic northeastern continental shelf, a significant advancement in mankind's exploration of the Arctic.

'Mutual Respect and Mutual Appreciation' – Chinese and Russian performers raise the roof with high notes

In this episode, the emotional bond along the Cultural Silk Road transcended time and space. The Ancient Silk Road, spanning thousands of miles and enduring for centuries, nurtured the core values of the Silk Road, covering peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning, and mutual benefit. It is a precious heritage of human civilization. The episode also featured Bo Wang Dong Xi ("A Gaze From the East to the West"), the world's largest narrative handwoven tapestry with figures, created with dedication by Chinese artists and Iranian artisans. Additionally, the program also invited the descendants of Rewi Alley from China and New Zealand to share the story of this old friend of the Chinese people.

On the stage, the collaboration between artists from different countries was deeply moving. Chinese singer Li Yugang and Russian singer Vitas joined forces in a musical performance where Chinese traditional music Moonlight Over the Spring River met the classic Russian song Moscow Nights. Amidst the fusion of instruments, including the guzheng and bayan, the intertwining voices of the two male singers raised the roof with their high notes, accompanied by an ice ballet performance. This unexpected musical dialogue promised a fresh audiovisual experience. The episode also featured If We Float Through Space by the passionate Ndlouv Youth Choir and Chinese singer Curley G; the enthralling rendition of A Millennium's Promise by the Iranian folk music band Rastak and Chinese singer Liu Xijun; and the stimulating Chinese Drums and Maori Dance by Chinese percussionists and a Maori dance group from New Zealand. Their artistic dialogues, marked by a romantic and expressive atmosphere, drove the show to exhilarating heights.

(Cover image via CMG)