‘New Youth, New Future’ Asian Youth Music Festival rocks Nanjing

Talented young artists, bands, and singers from China, Japan, the ROK, and ASEAN countries gathered on the same stage for a youth music and cultural feast dedicated to peace and friendship. The festival attracted a crowd of more than 20,000 people.

When addressing the opening ceremony of the festival, Chen Wenge, president of the Center for the Asia-Pacific under China International Communications Group (CICG Asia-Pacific), called Asia the most dynamic region in today's world, where countries are connected by mountains and rivers and enjoy cultural affinity. Through music, a popular way for young people to communicate and express themselves, artists, bands, and singers take the stage to sing for youth, highlight friendship, and delight the audience with youthful melodies of Asia, aiming to contribute to the creation of a new era of Asian civilization and the building of an Asian community with a shared future.

In his speech, Deputy Secretary General Zushi Shuji of Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat said that with the boom of pop culture in contemporary times, facilitated by ongoing digitization, music has become even more important in terms of bringing people of different nationalities together. "Through this music festival," he remarked, "we can see that the people-to-people and cultural exchanges among China, Japan, the ROK, as well as ASEAN countries and the rest of the world are getting revitalized and gaining new momentum."

Sun Yi, director of the General Affairs and Coordination Division of the ASEAN-China Center (ACC), noted that building and promoting inclusive Asian values has become the common pursuit of the peoples of Asia. Music transcends national boundaries and cultural differences, and ACC sees music as an important channel that facilitate China and ASEAN countries to explore opportunities and enhance exchanges and is willing to work closely with all partners to initiate, sponsor, organize, and support cultural activities of all kinds, he added.

Wang Hanping, vice president of CICG Asia-Pacific, released the "New Youth: Asian Youth Music Creation Program" on behalf of the organizer. The program will invite internationally renowned artists and young Asian musicians to co-create outstanding musical works with Chinese elements and Asian cultural characteristics through international exchange and cooperation.

The "Oriental Home" series of original songs was also released on the occasion. "President Xi Jinping proposed that China and ASEAN join hands to build a peaceful, safe, secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home in the region, charting the course for China-ASEAN relations," Wang said. "Inspired by this, we invited well-known music composers, singers, and directors from China and ASEAN countries to produce this music album with hopes to deepen the exchange and mutual learning among Asian countries through music. Let us press on toward the goal, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder."

At the opening ceremony, Wang Wei, a Party chief of CICG Asia-Pacific, and Yuan Zeming, designer of mascot "Niu Man Man" of the Asian Youth Music Festival, jointly unveiled the mascot.

Niu Man Man is an ox when seen from the front but a snail from the side. Yuan revealed that the vibrant dynamics behind the slogan of the festival, "New Youth, New Future," inspired him to exhibit the vibrancy of young people who keep moving forward while maintaining a stable mindset when designing the mascot.

New youth are creating a new future. Music transcends national boundaries. This grand international music festival offered a shocking surprise for sensory organs. Through comprehensive application of modern audio-visual stage technology, the festival innovated expressive forms of traditional concerts by combining music with tradition, animation, futurism, and collaboration. Solo singers, new-age bands, rappers, pop groups, and other performing artists of different styles from a wide range of Asian countries and regions brought pop, hip hop, ballads, and impressive choreography to the stage. With passion for music supported by talent, the artists showcased the power of Asian youth to the world.

Additionally, a Dialogue on Asian Cuisine and Culture was held on the sidelines of the festival. While enjoying the musical feast, attendees could enjoy a taste of food from all over Asia. They experienced the diversity of Asian cuisine and explored the unique cultures associated with each offering, from ingredients to cooking techniques. The traditional food from different countries showcased the inheritance and innovation of Asian food and highlighted the unique cultural charm of Asia, which has helped Asian youth build emotional resonance.

"I didn't expect the Asian Youth Music Festival to be so cool, and the performances are wonderful," exclaimed Liu Yixin from Beijing. "I hope that this music festival will become a regular event."

Two South Korean students from Nanjing University of the Arts said it was their first time attending such an event in China. According to the girls, the Asian Youth Music Festival was amazing, modern stage technology were used for lighting and sound, and both singers and dancers were quite talented. Besides, they were also impressed with delicious foods served at the festival such as barbecue.

This event was jointly hosted by CICG Asia-Pacific, the Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation, and the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, and received great support from diplomatic services of China, Japan, the ROK, and ASEAN countries.
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