Seeing the splendid history of the past one-hundred years, China still stays true to the mission; Seventy cold and summer days, youth Haidian remain to forge ahead. On the evening of August 19, the 11th Zhongguancun International Youth Art Festival of "Youth in Mountains and Rivers, Future of the Times" sponsored by the Haidian District Culture and Tourism Bureau kicked off at the Beijing National Theatre. Representatives of athletes of the Winter Olympics in the Haidian District, representatives of the security work and volunteers of the Winter Olympics Hotel, representatives of medical workers and frontline workers in the fight against the pandemic, and representatives of outstanding enterprises in the district were invited to enjoy the opening performance.

Zhongguancun International Youth Art Festival is a youth culture brand that has been passed on in Haidian for 11 years. In the next two months, with the theme of "Youth in Mountains and Rivers, Future of the Times", the art season will give full play to the advantages of Haidian culture, science, and technology, tourism and education, highlight the immersive experience and integrated development, and hold a total of 25,300 activities, including six units: "Ode to Youth, Singing to the People along with Culture", "Dedication to Youth, 100 Years of Youth and Fighting", "Building Youth, Singing Songs, Three Mountains and Five Gardens", "Painting Youth, Remembering Traditional China", "Burning Youth, Gathering Drama Art", and "Celebrating Youth and Melody of the One-Heart Era". Citizens can participate in activities in a number of public cultural venues, performance venues, and scenic spots in the district.

The opening ceremony is based on the theme of youth "catching up with the test", and is composed of four chapters: prelude and people's trust, the weight of the country, the question of heaven, and the sending of dreams. It looks back at history and looks forward to the future in the form of themed poetry recitation, music, sand painting, acrobatics, and dance. The Song and Dance "Running Youth" performed by the Haidian Youth Dance Troupe and the Beijing Youth Choir, the speech "My Idol" based on the deeds of Deng Jiaxian, the pulsating street dance "The Gate of Time and Space", the sand painting performance "The Mother Who Picked the Stars Is Back", and the famous singers Yao Hong, Xu Sen, and the Beijing Youth Choir jointly sang "Pilot" to a climax again and again.

Translator: WANG Jiahui

Reviewer: YANG Jialin