Dancers from Xiamen Little Egret Folk Dance Art Center present the original dance dramas in Beijing. CHINA DAILY

Opera, art and dance top rich list of city's attractions in May

With the May Day holiday fast approaching, Xiamen's tourism bureau has launched a series of cultural productions and activities under the theme of "Garden on the Sea, Music and Sports in Xiamen", inviting visitors from all over the country to experience the city's enchanting lifestyle.

An introduction to Xiamen's attractions was included in a conference spotlighting Fujian province's cultural and tourism economic development, which opened in Beijing on April 17. The event also featured art flash mobs, lifestyle experiences, dance performances and online activities. The Xiamen gourmet tasting area arranged during the event provided authentic flavors of Fujian tea and "sea breeze coffee" with a salty taste, allowing Beijing residents to experience the lifestyle featuring tea in the morning and coffee in the evening and savor a blend of Chinese and Western eating habits.

The Xiamen tourism bureau also recently organized multiple art flash mobs in Beijing's 798 Art District Zone and the Sanlitun, Houhai Lake and National Stadium districts, where dancers and performers presented classic dance dramas. On Saturday and Tuesday, at the China National Opera House, performers from the Xiamen Little Egret Folk Dance Art Center presented the original dance dramas Deep Feelings in the Ancient Courtyard and Flowers and the Sea.

As China's only professional performing arts group specializing in ethnic and folk dances, the Xiamen Little Egret Folk Dance Art Center was formerly known as the Beijing Dance Academy's experimental class for Xiamen folk dance. Flowers and the Sea narrates the 26-year relationship between Fujian province and the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in alleviating poverty, while Deep Feelings in the Ancient Courtyard focuses on the life of a Fujian woman, from the innocence of her childhood through the excitement of her first love, the sweetness of marriage and the pain of parting. The plot showcases the architectural features, wedding customs and village life of south Fujian by integrating elements of Minnan (an area in southern Fujian province) folk customs and art, such as hand puppets, chest drum dancing, Gaojia opera and Nanyin music.

An official from the Xiamen tourism bureau said music and dance promotion activities serve as a vibrant measure of the city's deep intertwining of culture and tourism, and by innovating promotional methods, the local administration has expertly polished the Garden on the Sea, Music and Sports in Xiamen brand.

On April 17, the Candlelight Concert of The Blue Danube, a classical masterpiece, debuted in the city, showcasing new interpretations of classical music. On Friday, the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra performed the "Dialogue" series music season concert in the city's Siming district, featuring Baek Jinhyoun, a South Korean conductor active on the world stage, and Aiman Mussakhajayeva, a talented violinist from Kazakhstan, presenting world-renowned works such as Aram Ilitch Khatchaturian: Violin Concerto in D Minor and Jean Sibelius: Symphony No 2 in D Major, Op 43.

Also on Friday, the fusion of classical and rock music, combined with a strong seaside romantic atmosphere, was showcased in the new production Vast Sky and Boundless Sea created by the Xiamen-based Fujian Kaixin Mahua Group, while on Saturday, the Your Lie in April concert featured classic works by Chopin, Kreisler and Beethoven, performed by piano virtuoso He Liyan and violinist Huang Xiaonan.

In the coming weeks, Xiamen will host a series of concerts almost every weekend, featuring performances by artists such as Jacky Cheung, AccuseFive, Li Jian and the 83 Band, Fish Leong and Tanya. Additionally, the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts' original national dance drama A Dream of Red Mansions, adapted from the classic novel with the same name by Cao Xueqin and considered a top-tier production across China, is scheduled to be staged in Xiamen in July.

As an international tourist city, Xiamen is also participating in the 12th Macao International Travel Industry Expo.

An international fashion show is held in Xiamen in April. CHINA DAILY

A girl poses for a photo in the Xiamen gourmet tasting area during a Xiamen tourism promotion conference held in Beijing. CHINA DAILY