Culture blossoms in Jilin

Art and culture week will bring the region's best

Local residents in Changchun will soon be able to enjoy a large cultural event once the third China (Changchun) Northeast Asia Culture and Arts Week kicks off on Aug 30 in the capital city of Northeast China's Jinlin province.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Jilin provincial government, and the Changchun city government, the gala is scheduled to launch its opening ceremony at 10 am at the Northeast Asia Art Center and will run through Sept 5.

The culture and arts week is composed of three major sections: performances, cultural forums and exhibitions, according to the event's organizing committee.

All-star lineup

"We have invited many national art troupes and artists from Northeast Asian countries, and they will offer 19 marvelous performances during the week," said a representative of the organizing committee.

Among the troupes is the Gyeonggi Dance Company from South Korea.

The only South Korean dance troupe invited to perform at the 2010 Shanghai Expo, it won greater international fame and went on to do road shows in Japan, the United States and Canada in 2011.

In addition, the Dance Company of Siberia will also come and perform.

"They will offer traditional Russian dances for the audience," said the representative.

Music lovers will also be able to indulge their passions, according to the organizing committee.

Renowned pianists from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been invited to perform at the event.

A promenade concert will be held at the Changchun World Sculpture Park, with Cambridge-trained Nicolas Smith serving as the conductor.

"The prom will provide a unique experience for the local audience," said a representative of the organizing committee.

There will also be a pop music concert, where a constellation of singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan will join performers from Northeast Asian countries to "sweep the audience with their performances", the representative added.

Another highlight of the section is traditional Chinese operas.

Ni Maocai and Pei Yongjie, both Peking opera masters, will showcase the charm of the age-old Chinese opera in their performances.

Local Jilin operas Lu Xiang Jie Mei (Deer-Raising Sisters) and San Qing Fan Lihua (Sending for Fan the Heroine) will also be staged during the event.

Expert forums

The organizing committee will also hold a series of forums during the culture and arts week.

"Experts worldwide are invited to forums so that they can contribute to cultural exchanges and cooperation among Northeast Asian countries," said a representative of the organizing committee.

Nelson Shin, the president of the International Association of Animation Filmmakers, and Vesna Dovnikovic, the association's secretary-general, are among the experts that will be present at the animation forum.

With their help, the forum will help expand the popularity and influence of Jilin in the animation and animation education industries, according to the organizing committee.

Mihly Hoppal, president of the International Society for Shamanistic Research, and scholars from Japan, Malaysia, and Russia will participate in the third International Forum for Shamanistic Culture, which is to be held during the event.

Since Jilin is one of the important cradles of shamanism and has many shamanistic relics, the forum can help excavate, salvage, and conserve them, local researchers said.

The third Northeast Asia Think Tank Forum will also be held during the culture and arts week.

In addition to experts from Japan and the Republic of Korea and researchers at the Academy of Social Sciences of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the forum will also attract more than 100 experts and government officials from a number of countries, including the US, Japan, Mongolia and Russia.

They will exchange views on topics including economic cooperation in Northeast Asia, cooperation in developing the Tumen River region and cultural exchanges among Northeast Asian countries, according to the organizing committee.

To foster the creation of documentaries on the Changbai Mountains and strengthen the province's influence in the documentary trade, the event will for the first time feature the International Mountain Documentary Forum, where filmmakers can exchange views on and experiences from shooting documentaries about mountains, according to the organizing committee.

Exhibitions

Another highlight of the culture and arts week is the fourth Northeast Asia Calligraphy, Painting and Photography Exhibition.

The exhibition will showcase more than 5,000 entries, including oil paintings, traditional Chinese paintings, works of calligraphy and seal cutting, and photographs, with their themes ranging from landscapes, people and traditions to economic development and traditional culture, according to the organizing committee.

Two famous contemporary Chinese painters-Cao Wu and Yuan Wu-will also exhibit their works that feature Chinese elements, in particular those of Northeast China.

In addition, calligrapher Hu Kangmei will exhibit 60 pieces of his works, with the longest measuring 20 meters, the highest 2.6 meters, and the smallest around 0.11 square meters, the committee said.

Also on the list are exhibitions of achievements in Jilin's cultural industries, including film and TV, publication, entertainment, and digital animation.

The first China (Jilin) Northeast Asia Cosplay Championship will also be held during the week.

lifusheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/27/2012 page10)