On February 2, 2024, the "Joyful Dragon · Happy Chinese New Year 2024" cultural exchange event, organized by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center, ventured beyond borders to host the Spring Festival at the renowned Heidelberg Castle. Consul General Huang Yiyang from the Chinese Consulate in Frankfurt attended the event and delivered a speech, expressing affirmation for the festive Spring Festival and the mutual exchange of Chinese and German cultures, along with heartfelt wishes for the New Year.
Through collaborative efforts by the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center, the Zhongguancun German Innovation Center, the Heidelberg Chinese Student Scholars Union, and the German Innovation Development Association, the Germany tour showcased numerous highlights. Cultural exchange activities, including stage performances, temple fairs, and exhibitions, unfolded the profound and vast richness of Chinese culture in the ancient city of Heidelberg. The event aimed to let the local German population experience the unique charm of the traditional Chinese Spring Festival, fostering Sino-German friendship and deepening the understanding and respect of German people towards Chinese culture.
In the historic castle, a melody of the New Year resonated
Heidelberg, known as one of Germany's most beautiful cities, shares a rich history with ancient Beijing.
This marked the first time the joyful Spring Festival was held in Heidelberg, and the stage performance of the " Joyful Dragon · Happy Chinese New Year 2024" cultural exchange event took place within the Heidelberg Castle, elevating the spectacle to a higher level.
Chinese and German artists collaborated to perform the New Year symphony
The lineup of the stage performances during the Germany tour featured traditional Chinese cultural elements such as folk music, dance, martial arts, and Kunqu opera brought by the Chinese delegation. The German side meticulously arranged performances showcasing Western classical music, traditional German music, and German folk songs by outstanding artistic groups and individuals from Heidelberg and its surrounding regions.
The fusion of traditional Peking opera with dance created an innovative form easily understandable to the audience. China's Dunhuang murals came to life through the flexible movements of the performers, leaving a lasting impression on the spectators. Globally acclaimed Chinese martial arts received enthusiastic responses from martial arts enthusiasts worldwide. The stage performances included thrilling acts such as "Flag of Glory for China," presented by the Beijing Wujiang Kung Fu Troupe. Additionally, familiar Chinese martial arts such as Tai Chi, widely practiced in Germany, were part of the repertoire.
The Kunqu opera "The Peony Pavilion: Garden Tour" introduced the audience to this ancient form of Chinese theatrical performance. Traditional Chinese instruments such as pipa, erhu, guzheng, ruan, and sheng provided a diverse auditory experience, showcasing the history and heritage of Chinese culture. Lydia Maria Bader, a German pianist who previously released the album "Chinese Dream," played the famous Chinese melody "Chasing the Moon" on the piano. The Central Conservatory of Music's Chinese instrumental ensemble also performed the traditional German piece "Song of Baden" using Chinese instruments.
Germany, being the birthplace of Western classical music, attracts many young Chinese musicians for study and advancement. Ning Haiting, a young Chinese pianist who graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and is currently pursuing further studies at the Mannheim University of Music, collaborated with local musicians from Heidelberg and Mannheim to present a piano trio.
Chinese enterprises make a splash overseas with bold attempt at market operation
To enhance the potential for future localized operations and breathe life into the event's operations, the Heidelberg New Year's Gala incorporated a market-oriented approach. Besides a limited number of VIP invitations, the remaining tickets were openly sold to the local public, resulting in a full house of 600 attendees.
This venture into commercial operations not only showcased the value of Chinese and German artists and their works but also conveyed the sincerity of "sharing the joyful Spring Festival between China and Germany." It highlighted the capability and level of hosting events and provided innovative ideas for future sustainable development.
Culture sets the stage for enterprises. An increasing number of Chinese companies are venturing abroad, stepping onto the global stage. The lottery segment of this performance is fully sponsored by Chinese enterprises: NIO, JD.com's European branch, and the national liquor brand Maotai. This allows more people to understand China and its businesses.
A temple fair arrives at a historic German castle
Celebrating the Chinese New Year in China involves visiting temple fairs, and this tradition is no exception even in a castle, where the fair is exceptionally lively. Born into a family renowned for kite-making, Kong Bingzhang, a representative inheritor of a national intangible cultural heritage project, presents a kite performance. The fair features edible and playable sugar paintings, a favorite among children during the Spring Festival. Liu Binbin, a representative inheritor of the Beijing Sugar Painting, brings sugar figures, paintings, and sugar-coated haws – a fusion of folk and artistic elements – to the Spring Festival temple fair in Heidelberg, Germany. Zhang Feng, a national inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of spinning a top, also displays dazzling top spinning at this ancient castle in Heidelberg.
To promote understanding of Beijing, a "Hello Beijing" photo exhibition at the fair showcases iconic buildings, event venues, and tourist attractions in the present-day Beijing. The narration is provided by a German girl who has lived in China for many years, passionately introducing her second home in both Chinese and German.
The Chinese zodiac, a gem of traditional Chinese culture, is highlighted in this cultural exchange activity. Award-winning and best works from the Year of the Dragon are carefully selected for visitors to appreciate and understand Chinese zodiac culture. At the Heidelberg temple fair, many visitors pick up brushes to experience traditional Chinese customs like pasting couplets and writing the character "福" (good fortune). Maotai, a Chinese liquor brand, creatively transforms into cocktails mixed with fruit juices and lemonade. Even more intriguing are the Chinese dishes – dumplings sprinkled with cheese, spring rolls dipped in egg yolk sauce – as Chinese cuisine undergoes localization in Germany.
The program reaches a series of climaxes, offering the audience a unique audio-visual experience
When a Chinese traditional music band performs in front of Heidelberg Castle, tourists stop to watch. The first appearance of a martial arts performance elicits cheers from the entire audience. Among the spectators are some Chinese who have lived in Germany for many years, bringing their families to watch the performance, not only comforting their homesickness but also providing their children, raised in Germany, with a more vivid perception of Chinese culture. The joint chorus, folk music ensemble, and classical music group from China and Germany perform the famous piece "Unforgettable Tonight," bringing the event to its peak. After the activity, German attendees praise the performance as the highest-level Chinese cultural show they have seen in Heidelberg to date.
In this special festival, we, along with Germans and people from around the world, welcome the joyful and harmonious Chinese New Year. Together, we bask in the beauty of the fusion of tradition and modernity, collectively composing a new chapter for the global Chinese community in the Year of the Dragon.
Translator: ZHANG Bo
Reviewer: TANG Yuxin
