Paris celebrates Chinese folk music with week-long event

A series of Chinese folk events have been held in Paris, showcasing traditional instrumental music alongside an art exhibition.

The "Chanson of Silk and Bamboo—Wuxi Week of Chinese Folk Music" event, held at the China Cultural Center in Paris, featured the traditional folk music of the city of Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province.

The Wuxi Chinese Orchestra launched the series with a performance of "The Beautiful Taihu Lake" on May 21. The week of events was co-organized by the China Cultural Center in Paris, with China's Network of International Culturalink Entities and the Wuxi municipal government.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Li Qiufeng, director of Wuxi's publicity department, described Wuxi as "the hometown of Chinese folk music".

As the birthplace of Wu culture, Wuxi has a strong musical tradition. Notable masters like Liu Tianhua, a pioneer of modern Chinese folk music, and the famous piece The Moon Reflected in Second Spring exemplify the richness of Wuxi's musical heritage.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Kimmo Mattila, secretary-general of the International Confederation of Accordionists, said that the accordion instrument holds a unique position in the musical culture of Wuxi and within the traditional music of the Jiangnan region, which refers to the vast area south of the Yangtze River.

Mattila, a native of Finland, highlighted Wuxi's beautiful natural scenery and deep cultural heritage. Remy Aron, president of the French Association of Plastic Arts, recalled his experiences collaborating with Chinese artists in Wuxi, creating and exhibiting works together, and praised Wuxi's innovative use of oil painting as a medium for urban promotion.

During the ceremony, Li presented music exchange ambassador certificates to two French musicians, Eliott Tordo and Julien Sorel, encouraging their active promotion of Chinese folk music.

The guests enjoyed performances of The Moon Reflected in Second Spring and Vivaldi's Spring by the two musicians, who performed respectively with the Wuxi Chinese Orchestra and the Wuxi Symphony Orchestra.

Tordo said: "I encountered The Moon Reflected in Second Spring when I first started learning the erhu. This piece embodies the charm of traditional Chinese music. In the future, I plan to create pieces that blend Chinese and Western elements using the erhu and promote this instrument through domestic and international performances."

Wuxi City Charm Oil Painting Exhibition opened on May 21, featuring works created by Fan Di'an, president of China Artists Association, and other renowned Chinese oil painters.

Wuxi is a famous tea-producing region in China and an event themed around tea was also held at the center. Premium teas from Wuxi, including Doushan White Tea, Doushan Taihu Lake Emerald Bamboo Green Tea, and Doushan Black Tea, were showcased alongside exquisite Zisha teapots. The event also featured live demonstrations of Zisha teapots making techniques, complemented by displays of clay figurines and traditional pastries from the city.

In addition, a concert titled Chanson of Silk and Bamboo—Oriental Sounds from Wuxi was held at the Guimet Museum in Paris on May 22, as part of the series.

Asked to describe the charm of Wuxi, an official from the Wuxi municipal government responded with exquisite. She said Wuxi is a city born of water, which gives it a "vibrant and clever" essence that allows it to flourish.