Symphony Concert Staged at Chinese Museum Goes Live Online

The Xian Symphony Orchestra （XSO） on April 18 staged an online concert at the Shaanxi History Museum in Xian， capital of northwest Chinas Shaanxi Province.

From Bela KovacsHommages to Chopins Nocturne， the 60-minute long “When Museum Meets XSO” concert was viewed by tens of thousands of viewers via live-streaming platforms including bilibili and Youku.

During the concert， a live show featuring the top collections of the museum added to the sense of history.

“Both cultural relics and music are cultural wealth that transcends time and space，” said Hou Ningbin， curator of the museum. “By staging such a concert， we pay homage to the brilliance of human culture through blending tradition with modernity， and the East with the West.”

In the coming month， the XSO will give live performances at other famed cultural and historical landmarks including Emperor Qinshihuangs Mausoleum Site Museum famous for terracotta warriors， according to the XSO.

Online Photo Exhibition Held in Israel to Display Central Chinas Culture and Tourism

On May 5， the China Cultural Center in Tel Aviv launched an online photo exhibition displaying the rich cultural and tourism resources in central Chinas Hubei Province. The exhibition will last for a whole month.

With a total of 45 photos， the exhibition has three categories – “natural ecology，” “history and culture，” and the “happy life” of Hubei， providing a window to discover the long history and rich cultural resources of the province， said Tao Chen， director of the China Cultural Center.

According to Tao， the photo exhibition comprehensively showcased the natural landscapes， historical sites， and rapid social and economic development of Hubei.

Israeli audiences can better understand Hubei through viewing the exhibition with photos of places such as Huanghelou （Yellow Crane Tower）， which was rebuilt many times over the past 1，700 years， and Shennongjia， a large primitive forest and national park.

The China Cultural Center translated captions of each photo into Hebrew for Israeli audiences， so that they could read the detailed introduction of each photo when they click on the images on their smartphones or computers.

As planned， the China Cultural Center will cooperate with Hubei Province this year to bring a lot of events for the Israeli people， said Tao， adding that some events could not be held on schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thus， the two sides turned to the online platform to present the beauty of Hubei to the Israeli people， Tao said.

The exhibition started on May 5， and will last for a month.

World Heritage Site Reopens to Tourists

The Mogao Grottoes， a renowned UNESCO World Heritage site in northwest Chinas Gansu Province， reopened on May 10 after being closed for months due to the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19）.

The well-known tourist site will strictly control daily visits to less than 30 percent of its previous maximum visits， or about 1，800 tickets per day， while the digital center and display room will remain closed until further notice， said the Dunhuang Academy who is in charge of the heritage.

Visitors are required to book tickets online， have their temperatures taken and wear masks during their visits. Group visits will not be accepted yet， said the academy， adding that medical workers will be given free admission till the end of this year.

The Mogao Grottoes have been offering online exhibitions on platforms including its official website， social media platform of WeChat， and video-sharing apps for visitors trapped at home.

The national museum， first constructed in A.D. 366， is home to various collections of Buddhist artwork– more than 2，000 colored sculptures and 45，000 square meters of murals – all located in 735 caves carved along a cliff by worshipers in ancient times.

NCPA Continues to Delight Audiences with Online Concerts

The National Center for the Performing Arts （NCPA） on May 2 staged another online concert for audiences staying at home amid the epidemic.

As the fourth in the NCPAs series of concerts titled“Spring Online，” the performance was presented by the NCPA Orchestra， bringing to audiences the joy of classical melodies， namely “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber and Mozarts “Divertimento in E-flat Major” and “Serenade for Strings in G Major.”

The concert， themed“Embrace the Spring，” was conducted by Lyu Jia， NCPA Artistic Director of Music. The performances were streamed live on major Chinese social media platforms， such as Youku and iQiyi， as well as on the NCPAs website， Sina Weibo， and WeChat accounts.

Beginning from April 11， the online concerts have aired for audiences kept at home during the epidemic each Saturday evening via the NCPA website and other channels.

According to NCPA Orchestra director Ren Xiaolong， the first online concerts theme was the Late Spring. It also celebrated the 250th anniversary of Beethovens birth.

The repertoires the orchestra selected for the online concerts deliver messages of love， hope， and healing amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

“This year marks the NCPA Orchestras 10th anniversary since its founding， and these online concerts are a very special way to connect with audiences，” said principal bassoonist Ji Jingjing.