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The event was co-organized by the Chinese International Culture Association, the Beijing International Culture Association, and the Beverly Hills Bureau of Conference and Visitors. The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles also supported this event. The celebration activities ranged from a “Charming Beijing” variety show and a “Fashion Beijing” photo exhibition to an intangible cultural heritage exhibition.
Liu Jian, China’s consul general in Los Angeles, said that the Chinese New Year celebrations have deeply impressed the people of Beverly Hills over the last two years, and have greatly enhanced the cooperation between the two countries.
At the opening ceremony, Beverly Hills mayor Julian Gold spoke highly of the event. He said that he was very happy to see Beijing artists again in Beverly Hills, and that this event had become a bridge of friendship between people in China and the US. He hoped that the event will grow even more excellent in the future.
The “Charming Beijing” variety show was co-organized by the China National Acrobatic Troupe and the Beijing Vocational Institute of Local Opera and Arts. Beijing operas and acrobatics, which are full of Chinese characteristics, were loved by the local audience. The Beijing operas were about well-known historical stories in China, which were very familiar to the audience. Erhu performances showed the special Chinese music style with beautiful music, while the acrobatic performances have all won international and domestic awards -- two of them have won the Golden Clown Award at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo in Monaco. The performances were rewarded by the audience with great applause.
The “Fashion Beijing” photo exhibition displayed 60 photos of Beijing taken by famous photographers from around the world. The exhibition showed a multi-dimensional city by combining the traditions of Beijing with the daily lives of local people wearing modern fashions. World heritage sites and famous spots of interests, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven illustrated fashion in Beijing hundreds of years ago; modern architecture, today’s people, and art performances all showed the current Beijing as an international city. Joe McNally, a photographer from the US, combined clothes with landmarks in Beijing to express the city’s fashionable side.
Chinese intangible cultural heritage fine metal crafts, or filigrees, were on display, as were innovative shoe designs. Filigrees are considered the first among the eight unique traditional crafts of Beijing. They have been used by emperors since the Ming and Qing dynasties, and were listed as national intangible cultural heritages in June, 2008. Innovative shoe designs combine traditional Chinese broidering and plate buttons with the best shoe-making crafts. Their innovative cultural style stood out in the exhibition.
Julie, president of the Bureau of Conference and Visitors in Beverly Hills, said that she was very happy to see the two cities cooperate again, and that this event has greatly promoted the local people’s understanding of Chinese culture.
Patrice attended this event for two years and said that this year’s event was even more fascinating than last year’s.
Maddi and his wife saw every photo in the exhibition and said that they were amazed by how advanced Beijing is now.
Audience members took photos at the exhibition hall, and showed great interest in “Fashion Beijing” and “Traditional Beijing”. Many of them wanted to visit Beijing to see the places shown.
The Associated Press, Beverly Hills Newspaper, US News Express, Chinese Daily USA, Phoenix Satellite Television, Sing Tao Daily, Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, Global Times, and other Chinese media in Beverly Hills attended the ceremony.
