The Sound of Friendship from GBA: Zhuhai's Online Concert for the 50th Anniversary of China-Netherlands Relations

ZHUHAI,China,May 24,2022 -- On May 23,an online concert,themed "Melodies over Seas and Mountains",wasjointly held in both Zhuhai Opera House and the Royal Concertgebouw,tocommemorate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China andthe Netherlands. As music danced through continents and oceans,Zhuhai andAmsterdam were connected more than ever,celebrating deep friendship,andlooking forward to a better future built and shared with each other,accordingto Information Office of Zhuhai Municipal People's Government.

There are 13 performances,including jazz,piano solo,wind music,chorus,fusion music,and many others. The concert featured world-class musicians andartists from the two countries - Nederlands Blazers Ensemble,SinfoniaRotterdam,Zhuhai Golden Jazz Orchestra,Chinese singer Liu Yutong,ChineseDrama Plum Blossom Award winners Ou Kaiming and Qiong Xia,etc. The organizercalled it "a musical conversation with the most pronounced localcharacteristics that transcended time and space".

"Many elements of Lingnan culture and the city of Zhuhai blossomed in theconcert," said Yan Jihong,the chief director of the concert,"We strive topresent Zhuhai,a city of youth and vitality,to the world."

The evening feast for the ears kicked off with Petals Falling from Sky,a classical Cantonese song. Many original songs composed by Zhuhai musicians werealso introduced,unveiling the charm of the special economic zone that ismodern,coastal,and international.

Sinfonia Rotterdam performed My Motherland,a well-known patriotic song inChina. Zhuhai Golden Jazz Orchestra started in-depth cooperation with SinfoniaRotterdam to foster young musical talents in China. Notably,this would be thefirst attempt by Nederlands Blazers Ensemble - which enjoys a global reputation- to extend their prime art education beyond the border of the Netherlands.

As early as 400 years ago,China and the Netherlands had already started economic,trade,and cultural exchanges through the Maritime Silk Road. The twocountries established diplomatic relations at the Charge d'affaires level inNovember 1954,which was upgraded to the ambassadorial level in May 1972. Forthe past 50 years,the close relationship - under multilateral frameworks andsystems such as the United Nations - has born plentiful fruits in promotingeconomic cooperation,science and technology,sustainable development,andworld peace.

Zhuhai's increasingly close ties with Utrecht,the fourth-largest city inthe Netherlands with a profound historic and cultural heritage,are ademonstration of the ever-growing China-Netherlands friendship. As a vitalbridge for China to connect with the rest of the world,Zhuhai started thefriendly exchanges with Utrecht in November 2013. In the following years,thetwo cities deepened the collaboration in investment,science andtechnology,culture,tourism,education,healthcare,etc. Ninestar Corporationfrom Zhuhai set up its Europe sales center there. In 2019,The Charm of Zhuhai,a photo exhibition was held in Utrecht,inviting the locals to appreciate thecity's unique qualities,and history.

Statistics reveal that the volume of bilateral trade and investment betweenChina and the Netherlands has increased in recent years. It's fair to concludethat the Netherlands is China's gateway to cooperation with Europe. Lookingforward,Zhuhai and Utrecht are ready to jointly hit a higher note in theirsong of friendship. Through cultural and people-to-people exchanges,theconnected hearts of people in the two countries will become the living water ofour bilateral relations,which will make greater contributions to thedevelopment of China-EU and China-Netherlands relations.

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