A dozen well-known artists performed at a government-sponsored concert Thursday at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou on Thursday.

The artists came to Guangzhou at the invitation of Zhang Dejiang, the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPC and Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua, a press conference was told Wednesday.

"It was the first time for the provincial Party chief and governor to invite artists to perform in the province, and probably the first time for provincial heads in the country to do so," said a concert spokesperson.

The concert came amidst the provincial authorities' efforts to promote the cultural industry.

Artists who performed at the concert included Caidan Zhuoma, Wu Yanze, Li Guyi, and other big names. They sang dozens of classics at the concert.

The concert will run till Friday night at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and be held at the Shenzhen Gymnasium on Sunday.

Government departments, schools and other organizations will get concert tickets for free.

(Shenzhen Daily May 13, 2005)