Do friends remember about the same moment two years ago? On February 12, 2020, at the critical moment when the new crown epidemic was raging and the Chinese people were fighting the epidemic with all their might, the cheering video from this literary and art group also touched and inspired countless Chinese netizens. On that day, a short video of the Japanese Matsuyama Ballet collectively singing the Chinese national anthem "March of the Volunteer Army" was officially premiered by the new media of "People's China" and was reprinted or quoted by many parties in the Sino-Japanese network media, creating a cumulative view of nearly 10 million views.
Today, in the first lunar month of the Chinese lunar calendar, on the eve of the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the friends of Songshan Ballet once again sent blessings to China and the people of Chinese.
This video originated from a session of the 4th "Tokyo Tower Lights Up China Red" event. This event is held annually during the Chinese New Year and starts on the evening of the lunar Chinese New Year's Eve. At that time, the fiery red Tokyo Tower reflects the night sky of Tokyo, bringing a strong Chinese New Year flavor to the city. In the past four years, the event has received attention and response from many parties, and has become a symbolic activity of friendship between the chinese and Japanese peoples. The Executive Committee of the event, together with the China Center for International Cultural Exchange, invited the Matsuyama Ballet to participate, and the Matsuyama Ballet actively cooperated with the event every time, sending heartfelt wishes to China and the people of Chinese. Last year's theme was "Hope" and this year's theme was "The Future". Matsuyama Ballet is actively preparing for a busy art performance, and this video is when they performed the ballet "Swan Lake" at the Fuchu Forest Theater in January, taking advantage of the gap before the rehearsal ended, designed and choreographed by Tetsutaro Shimizu, the company's general representative, and all the actors dressed in performance costumes and recorded with deep affection. In the video, Tetsutaro Shimizu and Yoko Morishita, a ballet couple, lead everyone to greet Chinese friends with a loud greeting for the New Year: "2022 is a year full of hope. China will bring beautiful and far-reaching influence to the whole world and mankind! On the occasion of the Chinese traditional festival, we extend our best wishes to everyone! I also wish the Beijing Winter Olympics and The Winter Paralympic Games a complete success! Let's move into the future together! Together to the future! ”
The Olympic Games are a sporting event for mankind. Last year's Tokyo Olympics overcame the epidemic and received full support from China, and Chinese netizens were touched by the new slogan "More Unity" launched by the Tokyo Olympics; this year, the torch of the Winter Olympic Games was passed to Beijing, and "together to the future" became everyone's new expectation. At this moment, the blessing from matsuyama Ballet represents the cheering and encouragement from Japan. It can be said that "the mountains and rivers are exotic, the Olympic Games are the same day", and we also wish the world's ice and snow athletes, including the Japanese team, good results in this Winter Olympic Games.
The blessing video from Matsuyama Ballet has another layer of deep meaning this year. Looking back at the difficult process of normalizing diplomatic relations between China and Japan 50 years ago, the unique role of Matsuyama Ballet should not be forgotten. Due to historical reasons, Sino-Japanese relations have always faced various tests and often wavered, but the cultural exchange activities between The Chinese and Japanese people have never stopped. The stage of the cultural performance in the spotlight is not only a platform for displaying art, but also an important fulcrum for Sino-Japanese folk cultural exchanges. In the autumn of 1972, Premier Zhou Enlai and Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka signed an agreement that ended the long-standing hostility between the two countries and restored the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations. Since the 1950s, matsuyama Ballet's original ballet "The White-Haired Girl" has interacted with China, creating a precedent for "ballet diplomacy" and becoming an important factor in promoting the normalization of diplomatic relations. Today, 50 years later, how can we "move forward together"? A blessing from Matsuyama Ballet is also a prayer for us to think about how to innovate. It is hoped that people of insight from all walks of life in China and Japan will work together to pass on the classic repertoire of "The White-Haired Girl" and the Matsuyama Ballet, a famous friendship business card of China and Japan, and write a new chapter for the friendship between China and Japan from generation to generation.
I would like to thank the China Center for International Cultural Exchange for providing information support for this article.