Traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival celebrated in Brussels

BRUSSELS, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The opening of an exhibition on Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage and a traditional Chinese music concert kicked off the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival at the China Cultural Center in Brussels on Tuesday evening.

The event was attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Belgium, Cao Zhongming, along with prestigious Belgian and European guests and a delegation of artists from various disciplines from the city of Shanghai.

The festival "symbolizes people's aspiration for reunion, harmony and a better life," and is "one of the most important traditional festivals for the Chinese nation," the ambassador said.

The Shanghai intangible cultural heritage exhibition brought together 50 works from more than 10 projects at national, municipal and district levels.

These works, which included paper-cuttings, realistic stone carvings, home dyeing and weaving techniques, paper carvings, and gold and color drawings, enabled guests to appreciate the know-how and skills of Chinese craftspeople.

"It was a nice surprise. There are things I didn't know, it's fantastic, it's impressive," Honore Petter Jon, a Belgian who took part in the event, said.

Another highlight of the evening was a traditional music concert performed by Shanghai's Qingyun Jiangnan String-and-Pipe Music and Belgian musician Johan Famaey, who composed multiple titles, such as "Moon," "Dreamer," "Dream Flight," or "Snow River," mixing Chinese folk music and Western symphony.

"At this concert, I presented a suite titled 'Chang'e Soars to the Moon', which is centered around the theme of the Mid-Autumn Festival. This composition tells the story of the reunion between the Chinese Moon Goddess Chang'e and her beloved. Towards the end of the concert, I had an incredible opportunity to perform traditional Chinese music alongside musicians from Shanghai. It was an amazing experience," Famaey told Xinhua.

The exhibition on Shanghai's intangible cultural heritage will run until November 2023 at the China Cultural Center in Brussels.