On April 27, the 20th International Cultural Festival Special Performance and 2024 Spring Music Festival was held in the square outside the Comprehensive Gymnasium, attended by thousands of Chinese and foreign students, alumni and faculty members. With the shining starlight and moving notes, performers from all over the world presented a wonderful and varied musical feast for the audience in the late spring and early summer, interpreting youth, striving, family and country.
After the dazzling light show Colorful World, To Share, To Be Together, Xinxuan Chen (Malaysia) ignited the audience with the song Princess. Subsequently, with continuous applause and cheering, the performers released their talent and charm on the stage, making the night glow with infinite vitality and vigor.
As the special performance of the International Cultural Festival, the Spring Music Festival shows the charm of different music cultures worldwide. Renying Liu (South Korea) and Aixi Jiang (South Korea) brought the movie King of the Circus episode song Rewrite the Stars to the audience; Alai Hu (Kazakhstan) brought the song Heartbreak Anniversary to the audience with her unique voice full of magnetic, which attracted resonance; Danyang Peng sang the French song Sympathique, which conveyed the vision of a better life; The SUFE Student Choir performed the Market in the Sky, composed by Guo Moruo, brought the audience back from the hustle and bustle of the city life to the starry blue night sky with light clouds, allowing people to enjoy the unique atmosphere of tranquility; Chang Zhou performed Heart, an excerpt from the Chinese musical “Butterfly, in a beautiful voice; The International Student Choir presented the traditional Chinese choral piece Chasing the Moon with Colorful Clouds, and nearly 40 choir members from more than 20 countries sang in Chinese about their nostalgia for their hometowns.
At the same time, the Culture Bazaar was also in progress. Different stalls attracted the audience to hit the market, displaying the charm of different cultures worldwide.
The performers on the stage sang loudly and danced vigorously. The audience was immersed in the performance, and they gathered the passionate sea for the performers with fluorescent sticks and cheers. Huan Zhou (Brazil), an alumna of the 2023 international students of SUFE, who specially came back to attend the festival, said, Students from different cultural backgrounds use music as a medium to compose an unforgettable melody together. In the songs, I heard the collision and fusion of cultures and saw the vigor and passion of youth. I not only enjoyed an audio-visual feast but also gained friendship and understanding across national boundaries. The Spring Music Festival is not only a performance but also a heart-to-heart exchange and a cultural dialog. Let's hope that such an event can become a bridge connecting different cultures and promoting mutual understanding so that the world will be more harmonious and better because of music.
Qiqi Zhang, a current student from International Education College, said, This is my second time attending the Spring Music Festival, the whole atmosphere was boiling, it seemed like I could feel the rhythm of the music jumping in the air. Being there, I couldn't help being inspired by the enthusiasm of the students from all over the world. They sang beautiful melodies in their native languages, showing the charm of their cultures. From rock to pop, to ethnic music, each performance brought me endless surprises and enjoyment. In this vibrant musical feast, I felt the blend of cultures and the colorfulness of the world, and an unspeakable excitement and joy surged in my heart.
To further promote the integration of Chinese and foreign cultures, the festival organizers have incorporated several collaborative programs between Chinese and foreign students. Lechen Zhang and Renyi Guo(Malaysia) presented the guitar-played Ordinary Friends” song with a soothing and gentle tune that was evocative. Tianyi Chen, Zhixian Qian, Xuecong Li, Danyang Peng, Minglujing Chen, Aixi Jiang(South Korea) and Yingjia Chen (Malaysia) performed As I Wish, with a slowly flowing melody and beautiful harmonies that moved the audience. Zian Ji, Renyi Guo (Malaysia), Xinxuan Chen (Malaysia), Wangxueli Zhang (Malaysia) and Zhengchao Huang(Malaysia) sang Until the End of the World, which expressed their infinite expectations for the future and love of life. Zian Ji, a freshman from the College of Business, who participated in the Spring Music Festival for the first time, said, "While I sang on the stage, I also met many international friends, who not only gave me advice on the details of the performance, but also chatted with me about their hometown's stories, beautiful scenery and delicious food in their spare time, which made me wish to know more about these cultures as well, and I cherish this rare and precious friendship."
The Junior Jeans Dance Troupe, comprised of Chinese, Malaysian and Korean students, presented an energetic dance performance on the day. Troupe member Jie Chen (Malaysia) said after the performance, What brings us together is the passion for dance and the desire for cultural integration. From the rustiness three months ago to the mutual embrace after the performance, the friendship between us, irrigated by sweat, has formed the most beautiful flower. Just like the theme of this year's International Cultural Festival, 'To Share, To Be Together', and the friendship will not disappear by the end of the festival, instead living on in this period of youth with no regrets.
The success of holding this event relies on the staff behind the scenes. All the working groups behind the scenes cooperated, and students from different countries worked together to ensure the smooth running of the event. At the event site, I saw the props team practicing to set up the props repeatedly, the stage control team carefully checking the performers' needs with the lighting and sound technicians, the order team wearing fluorescent vests to maintain the order of the site, the filming team working hard to find the best camera position, the backstage team distributing the fluorescent sticks quickly, and the urging team communicating with performers about the details of the process, which all showed the power of the International Student Association. In this organization, although students are from different countries, but always have a family. Therefore, as members of the previous International Student Association, we gathered as staff again this year to contribute to the success of the event. said Yi Zheng (Brazil), former International Student Association Executive President.
Heyuan Chen(Malaysia), Executive President of the International Student Association, said, It took three months from planning to execution, and it was very touching to see how the wild ideas materialized into a successful musical feast. I would like to express my special thanks to the student union leaders, performers, and all the staff behind the scenes of cooperative colleges, who worked together to hold such a large-scale music festival that was truly beautiful and heart-warming. This event not only united international students, but also allowed us to have in-depth communication with Chinese students, and the International Student Association will continue to move forward towards this goal in the past, present and future.
Beautiful songs gather the power to share and to be together. The 2024 Spring Music Festival was ending along with the song Four Seas with One Heart, but the youthfulness and the students’ music love will be continued.
(Source: International Cultural Exchange School)
