Meet in Beijing Arts Festival kicks off with collaborative concert

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It's the time of year when diverse cultures from around the world meet in the Chinese capital. The 19th edition of "Meet in Beijing Arts Festival" kicked off Thursday night at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

Themed "Asia in Harmony," this year's festival opened with a concert performed by the China National Traditional Orchestra together with artists from Japan, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Pakistan.

The audience immersed themselves in the sweet melodic bamboo music and joyful rhythmic percussion from Thailand, and a pipa duo battle, depicting the Chu-Han Contention, one of the most famous warring stories in Chinese history.

Musicians from Thailand perform traditional Thai music. /Photo courtesy of China Arts & Entertainment Group

Surasak Kingsai, a musician from Thailand shared with CGTN that: "It's a great pleasure to perform at the opening concert of the Meet In Beijing Arts Festival. Together with my band, we're bringing a mash-up of four very distinctive musical styles from Thailand."

Mudili musician from Kazakhstan said: "The five of us play different instruments and change to different ones as the song progresses. Music really is the universal language. I hope the audience feel that connection."

After 18 years' of evolution, Meet in Beijing has become a key platform for artists and art lovers from around the world to come together and share ideas.

Musicians from Kazakhstan perform at the concert. /Photo courtesy of China Arts & Entertainment Group

Wang Xiuqin, general manager of China Arts and Entertainment Group who helped organize the event, said: "The festival plays prominent twin roles in the art world. One, it's a landing platform for world classical art to enter China, and it's the starting platform for China's excellent stage performance art to meet the world."

In the coming month, nearly 800 artists from 19 countries and regions will bring 130 performances, three art exhibitions and a number of public art education activities to major theaters and art centers in the city.

(Cover: The 19th Meet in Beijing Arts Festival kicks off with Asian-themed concert. /Photo courtesy of China Arts & Entertainment Group)