Heartfelt musical performances elicit joy and tears in Chicago
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Much more than a musical extravaganza, "Cultures of China, Festival of Spring" delivered the magic cure Friday night for the holiday blues felt by Chicago Chinese living far from their home country during the Chinese New Year season.
After much anticipation, the event finally came to Chicago as part of the special global Chinese New Year celebration. Nearly 4,000 Chicago area Chinese and Americans thronged to the Auditorium Theatre to enjoy the stunning show sponsored by the Central Policy Song & Dance Ensemble of People's Liberation Army of P. R. China, one of the top performing troupes in China.
As the Chinese poem goes, "One misses family more than ever during the holiday season". Top tier Chinese performers aroused deep nostalgic feelings of the enthusiastic audience with traditional Chinese songs, music and dance, reminiscent of the good old times in China.
Kicking off the unforgettable night was "Blessings", a beautiful Chinese dance, followed by classic Chinese songs such as "My Homeland", sung by female soprano Lei Jia.
When Lei said she was from Hunan province and would sing a Hunan folk song, one Chinese man jumped onto the stage and told her, "I am a doctor who has been working in Chicago for many years. I am so happy to see a fellow Hunanese here and would love to sing this song with you if possible!"
This unexpected singing and dancing duet by Lei and the Chicago Chinese doctor brought thundering applause and excitement.
Such spontaneous collaboration happened again when celebrated singer Meng Ge was on stage. A Chinese researcher from Northwestern University requested to sing a classic love song with her. Meng consented to the request and together they did an amazing job before a wild audience.
The climax of the night came when one of the most well-known male singers in China, Yan Weiwen, took the stage. Yan has been an army singer for 40 years and this event was his third performance in Chicago. One of his fans, 85-year-old Mr. Xie, said, "I saw him in 1987 in Chicago and cannot believe how little he has changed."
Living up to everyone's high expectations, Yan sang a few of his signature classics such as "Saying a few words from my heart", "One small Chinese white poplar" and "Mother", which not surprisingly brought a lot of people to tears.
With heartfelt emotions, Yan told the sentimental audience, "I know all of you here miss our home country and family, especially during the Chinese New Year season, and I hope my songs can bring you closer to them." And his familiar, melodic, rhythmic songs did just that.
In the end, he invited the passionate crowd to join him for his most popular song, "One, two, three, four". The audience responded loud and clear, as their voices resounded from the ceiling, filling the entire theatre with this well-loved Chinese melody.
Another highlight of the night was the Chinese Erhu performance by distinguished musician Chen Jun in a duet with his wife, renowned Pipa player, Liu Ke. Two dance troupes -- "The Han and Tang Dynasties" and "Thousand-hand Goddess of Mercy"-- also added glamour and beauty to the emotional night.
Distinguished guests who spoke at the event included Xu Yousheng, vice-director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office (OCAO) of the State Council of China; Huang Ping, Chinese consul general in Chicago; Jesse White, Illinois secretary of state; Gene Lee, deputy chief of staff at the Chicago Mayor's office, and Daniel Solis, alderman of the 25th ward in Chicago.
The event was organized and supported by the OCAO of the State Council of China, and the China Overseas Exchanges Association (COEA). The local sponsoring organization was the Greater Chicago Chinese Committee of the "Cultures of China, Festival of Spring".
This special annual global event has so far been held in about ten major countries with Chinese emigrants during the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year. After Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and New York, Chicago was the last stop in the United States. The performers will travel to Toronto, Canada for their last performance in North America before returning to China.
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