The Nine Trees Future Art Center in Fengxian District

Situated to the south of the city by the sea, Fengxian District is one of Shanghai’s five satellite cities currently speeding up their development. Themed “Life in Fengxian Flourishing Prosperity”, the district government held a release conference and a multimedia symphony concert at the Nine Trees Future Art Center on March 1, envisioning a futuristic Fengxian for the people and by the people.

At the invitation of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC), fourteen foreign students of Fudan University attended the event and most of them came to the district for the first time. These young people from different parts of the globe are studying clinical medicine, information technology, environmental science, journalism, Chinese language, philosophy and other majors.

Equipped with multimedia technology, the concert featured a combination of traditional Chinese and modern western art forms, ranging from pipa, erhu and piano concertos, to choral symphony, vocal solo and poetry recitation.

Well-known Chinese artists including pianist Kong Xiangdong, singer Yan Weiwen, soloists Wu Yuxia and Yu Hongmei, as well as voice actors Ding Jianhua, Song Huaiqiang, Zhao Jing and Xu Weijie took the stage.

Chinese folk music deeply impressed these foreign students. Malawian girl Susan Tania Nyirenda loved the Pipa best. It was her first time to enjoy a live show of the traditional art.

“Pipa looks like guitar,” said Christopher Weirich from Germany, adding that he didn’t quite understand the meaning of some songs in Chinese, but he could feel the beauty and happiness from the borderless melody.

Pipa concerto “Clouds and Flowers Fantasy” by Wu Yuxia

Erhu concerto “Red Plum Blossom” by Yu Hongmei

Nigerian student Kingsley Chibuike Nduneseokwu evaluated that it was a magnificent exhibition of musical orchestra in the Chinese language and style, which displayed the flourishing prosperity of life in Fengxian.

Piano concerto “Defend the Yellow River” by Kong Xiangdong

Songs “Mother” and “Litter Poplar” By Yan Weiwen

Daniel Marquez Lima from Mexico said that the concert in Fengxian was an opportunity to see an area of Shanghai which he had never seen before. “In the car, I observed the many perspectives of Shanghai.”

“The concert was a kaleidoscope of audio with vanguard visuals”, he said, believing that it sparked further interest for the audience to know about the development prospects of Fengxian amid the pleasures of the harmonizing power of music.

Poetry recitation “Life in Fengxian Flourishing Prosperity” by Ding Jianhua, Song Huaiqiang, Zhao Jing and Xu Weijie

Recital Chopin piano concerto No.2 Ⅲ by Fengxian student Chen Zixi and Ningbo Symphony Orchestra

Story and video by Wang Jiaye

Photos by Zu Zhongren

Some photos provided by the Foreign Affairs Office of Fengxian District and International Students Office of Fudan University