For Chinese people around the world, Spring Festival is the most important event of the year, a time of joyous celebration that ushers in the Chinese New Year. It’s also the time for people to clean their homes to welcome the new year, symbolically sweeping out the remains of the old year, before hanging up red lanterns and other festive decorations on Lantern Festival falling on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar year. People are gathering together for family reunions, to exchange gifts and feast on lucky foods.
Spring Festival is also marked by a host of public events that showcase traditional arts, crafts and customs – an ideal opportunity for visitors to experience China’s rich cultural heritage. In case you can’t join the celebrations in person, why not take a virtual trip to the coastal province of Jiangsu, where you can enjoy the highlights of this year’s event via a program of online performances and exhibitions?
Dotted with lakes and criss-crossed by waterways, Jiangsu province is famed for its poetic landscapes, enchanting canalside towns and glorious gardens. It’s also renowned for the wealth and diversity of its cultural scenes. Reflecting all of this, the online program entitled “Charm of Jiangsu”, includes performances of traditional music, dance and acrobatics. It also showcases ancient Jiangsu crafts such as jade carving, silk weaving, woodblock printing and paper cutting – artistic skills that UNESCO has granted Intangible Cultural Heritage status.
Situated to the north of Shanghai, Jiangsu is a coastal province in east China. Its access to the Grand Canal and the Yangzi River has made it a thriving region in terms of trade in textiles, rice and salt. The beautiful canal towns that sprung up allow you to step back in time. Like 1,000-year-old Tongli, where 40 ancient bridges span tranquil gardens, historic alleyways and characterful white-washed water-town houses. Or pretty Luzhi, a timeless canal town which boasts more bridges than Venice.
The heritage of Jiangsu’s capital Nanjing can be seen from the large number of well-protected temples, monuments, mausoleums and heritage sites found both within the city and around the misty peaks and parklands of the Purple Mountain nearby. Highlights include the striking Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum and beautiful Linggu Temple complex. As a city where many colleges and universities are located, Nanjing is one of China’s four ancient capitals, which is known for its delicious food, lively nightlife and world-class museums.
The ancient city of Suzhou is famed for its UNESCO-listed Classical Gardens. There are more than 50 classical gardens, and The Humble Administrator’s Garden is one of them, which is known as the most beautifully landscaped peaceful haven, dotted with rare trees and ornate pavilions and tranquil pools linked together by bridges. Suzhou is also famed for its sweet and savoury pastries. Don't miss the annual Moon-Cake Festival which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month. It is the second important festival after the Spring Festival.
Another distinctive highlight of the Spring Festival in Jiangsu is “Elegance of Chinese Music”, a large-scale concert led by acclaimed Chinese conductor Chen Xieyang and performed by the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra (SSO).
Although it is a new member in China’s classical music circle, the SSO has already made a big splash among international audiences. Founded in 2016, it is nicknamed as “a united nations of musical talents”, made up of more than 70 outstanding young musicians from 20 countries and regions including China, Australia, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Israel, Morocco and the United States.
In Elegance of Chinese Music, the orchestra combines characteristic elements of Chinese and Western traditions, integrating folk music and traditional instruments into the symphonic works of contemporary Chinese composers. The program features Epic of the Warrior by Zhu Jian’er, Life on the Riverbanks of Suzhou by Cui Bingyuan, Wang Ming’s Haixia Suite and The Red Plum Capriccio Erhu Concerto by Wu Houyuan.
Throughout the concert, the music flows effortlessly between moods – from poignant to grandly triumphal – and is accompanied by glorious images of Jiangsu landscapes. Particularly fascinating for international viewers is Wu Houyuan’s concerto, featuring a virtuoso performance on the erhu. This traditional Chinese instrument, a little like a vertical violin, has only two strings but is extraordinarily expressive in the hands of Yu Hongmei, China’s leading erhu performer.
