The concert marking the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the 75th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Myanmar and China took place at the National Theatre in Yangon yesterday.
Union Minister for Information U Maung Maung Ohn and his wife, Union Minister for Religious Affairs and Culture U Tin Oo Lwin and his wife, Union Minister for Education Dr Chaw Chaw Sein, relevant officials, Chinese Ambassador to Myanmar Ms Ma Jia, partner organizations, Chinese Wu Opera members and invitees.
The artistes of the Department of Fine Arts under the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture performed the episode of Ramayana – Prince Rama chasing a golden deer.
The Chinese Ambassador made a greeting speech.
Union Minister U Maung Maung Ohn then said today, just as countries have been promoting and showcasing their national symbols and cultural images through ‘cultural diplomacy’ as a form of soft power, Myanmar has also been presenting and highlighting its traditional culture and characteristic traits.
Almost every country in the world are presenting their cultural diplomacy in their own ways to promote friendship between countries and to make its unique cultural traits respected by others. It can also be seen that these days, soft power has become stronger and more effective than hard power.
Moreover, the ‘Wu Opera’, also known as ‘Jing Hua’, is the main traditional opera of Zhejiang Province in eastern China and has a history of over 500 years. This year, the Wu Opera troupe performed in Germany, Spain, and Andorra. Myanmar audiences are very proud and delighted to have the opportunity to watch the performances of this famous Wu Opera troupe.
Similarly, the Myanmar artistes performed the main episodes of the Ramayana Jataka’s ‘Rama Thamin Lait’ (Prince Rama chasing deer) and ‘Dattha Pan Site Khan’ (Demon King planting flowers), and such actions are a chance to exchange culture between the two countries. Such cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Myanmar help to deepen friendship and understanding between the people of both countries and can also strengthen relations at the national level. The Union minister also called for continuously preserving and promoting the cultural ties between the two countries across all sectors.
The Chinese performers performed the Wu Opera, which is known as “Jing Hua”. Union Minister U Tin Oo Lwin presented flower bouquets and gifts to Chinese artistes.
Chinese Ambassador Ms Ma Jia presented the bouquets to Myanmar artistes.
The Union ministers and the Chinese ambassador posed for the documentary photo together with the artistes.
The Zhejiang Wu Opera Troupe, the Wu Opera Research Institute of Zhejiang Province, will continue to perform for the audiences at the National Theatre in Yangon at 3 pm on 21 September (today). The opera troupe has staged over 200 performances in 26 countries, and this is their first-ever performance in Myanmar.
MNA/KTZH
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