Singers from across the world flock to Jincheng for final contest concert

Renowned artist Tian Haojiang sang lyrics inspired by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poems as he kickstarted the iSing International Young Artists Concert in Jincheng city in the southeast of Shanxi province, on Dec 12.

The iSing concert is China's first event for young singers from across the world. The event aims to promote international cultural exchanges and help traditional Chinese culture go global.

Tian is one of the founders. He is a native of Jincheng and he said he was glad to be in the city again.

"The last time I was in Jincheng was 15 years ago when I sang at a solo concert here," Tian said. "Fifteen years has passed and I found I'm still emotionally attached to this city, although great changes have taken place."

With 10 young artists from seven countries including China, the United States, Russia and Mexico singing award-winning songs by composers from different countries, the concert in Jincheng was the final of the months-long event.

Over the past seven months, the event involved the participation of 101 young composers from 18 countries. Fourteen composers from eight countries have won different awards.

As required by the event's organizers, the songs have been written based on Tang Dynasty poems.

However, it was not an easy job for the international artists to sing in China as the world is still being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foreign artists arrived in China in early November. After two weeks of quarantine, they performed at a concert in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Nov 24.

The artists said they were happy in China, where the virus is well under control.

"Only in China can we take off our masks and sing as loudly as we can," one of the artists said.

After the Jincheng concert, the artists visited local attractions including Huangcheng Xiangfu to experience Chinese culture by themselves.

Huangcheng Xiangfu, which literally means "imperial prime minister's residence", is located in Huangcheng village of Yangcheng county in Jincheng. It was the residence of Chen Tingjing, a renowned politician of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Covering 36,580 square meters and consisting of 16 courtyards and 640 rooms, the site is the largest ancient residential complex in Jincheng.

Xie Yan contributed to this story.