Shenzhen, China Stages Confucian Symphony at UNESCO Headquarters on International Day of Peace

PARIS, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the International Day of Peace, September 21, Ode to Humanity, a grand and magnificent Confucian symphony organized by Propagandizing Department of ShenZhen Municipal Committee, was performed at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris. It marks another milestone for Chinese culture in its quest to go global and is a grand event in the world of international cultural exchanges.

September 21, 2013 is the 32nd anniversary of the International Day of Peace. Since the day's establishment, the United Nations annually has held the Peace Bell Ringing Ceremony and invited artists and educators to attend the commemorative event. This is the first time a Chinese literature and art group has been invited to perform.

Ode to Humanity is a magnificent Chinese cultural symphony, the result of six years of effort undertaken by the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. Since its debut at the opening ceremony of China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair this May, the symphony has received wide acclaim. The invitation to perform the symphony in Paris is the result of long-term close cultural cooperation between Shenzhen and UNESCO. A delegation led by Wang Jingsheng, a member of the Standing Committee of Shenzhen Municipal Committee of CPC and minister of the Propagandizing Department of Shenzhen, met Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, in France in October 2012. Bokova expressed her desire to hear and lauded the Ode to Humanity when she was told that the rehearsal for the performance of the symphony was already under way. In recognition of the core humanistic values expressed by the symphony, she invited the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra to perform the work at UNESCO's headquarters.

The Shenzhen delegation said Ode to Humanity fully demonstrates the Chinese people's embracing of peace. Meanwhile, Ode to Humanity is the work that represents the creation of the great Chinese dream and of world peace. The work employs the form and the technique of expression of Western symphonies, while articulating the core values of Confucian culture in an innovative way, delivering the vision of how life should be lived and explaining the Chinese nation's attitude toward life to the world. At the same time, the symphony earnestly expresses Chinese traditional thought, culture and art to the world, as well as promotes the sanctity and venerability of human life.