Geely pledges funding to help children's choir grow in popularity

As part of its commitment to promote Chinese culture and build a global corporate culture, Chinese automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group will partner the China Central Broadcast Children's Choir (CCBCC) to help improve its expertise and popularity through financial support over coming years.

The Hangzhou-based company, which held around a 2-percent share of China's auto market in 2010, announced funding for China's oldest children's choir to the tune of 1.5 million yuan ($235,950) over the next three years, according to Yang Xueliang, Geely's public relations director, at a signing ceremony on Friday in Beijing.

The funding will help the 61-year-old choir upgrade its instrumental facilities, invite professional musicians to improve the choir's expertise, enrich its repertoire and finance domestic and overseas tours.

"By providing financial support to the performing arts, it shows that Geely is also actively building its own corporate culture while reinforcing its product strategy of high quality.

"We also hope we can engage in more intimate communication with our customers by combining culture and art together," said Yang.

Established by China National Radio in 1951, the CCBCC comprises of Beijing students aged between 7 and 20. Over the years, the 80-strong choir has stood out from its contemporaries nationwide for its lively singing and harmony.

While choirs have enjoyed a resurgence in China, there are still some misconceptions about the art form, said the choir's conductor, Meng Dapeng.

"Actually, more young people are taking up the art form and popular songs are being adapted for choir arrangements to relate to young people's life," he noted, citing Taiwan pop singer Jay Chou's "Chrysanthemum Flower Bed" as an example.

While commercial TV shows for children's choirs are too costly, support from Geely will help allow more performances to be organized by the renowned choir and introduce its unique brand of music to a wider range of audiences, Meng added.