Chinese Herald News (Special Reporter Dong Hongjun) On April 7, the "19th Sakura Erhu Concert" hosted by the Zhang Bin Erhu Concert Troupe, a specific non-profit activity legal entity, and co-organized by the Chinese Consulate General in Nagoya, the Nanjing International Cultural Exchange Association, the Nanjing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Nagoya Sister Sister Cities Association, was grandly held at the Okaya Steel Machinery Nagoya Public Hall.
On a good day when the earth is in full bloom, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and the blue sky and white clouds are in full bloom, the Tsurumai Park where the venue is located is crowded with people to enjoy the flowers, and more than 1,000 spectators come to enjoy the cherry blossom erhu concert, which is a poem of Nagoya's spring scenery.
Yang Xian, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Nagoya, Shoichi Kondo, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan and Secretary-General of the Japan-China Friendship Parliamentarians Alliance, Toshiken Matsuo, Vice Mayor of Nagoya City and President of Nagoya Sister Sister Cities, Huang Xingyuan, Chinese Representative Director of the Japan-China Friendship Association, Wen Okazaki, Chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association, and Masashi Shimao, President of the Tokai Japan-China Trade Center, attended the concert.
Consul General Yang Xian first delivered a speech. She congratulated the concert on its success, welcomed the artists of the Nanjing Chinese Orchestra who came to Nagoya to perform, and thanked friends from all walks of life who have long cared about and supported the development of Sino-Japanese relations.
Consul General Yang Xian quoted the saying "a thousand-year-old pipa and a thousand-year-old zheng, an erhu for a lifetime", and spoke highly of Mr. Zhang Bin's tireless use of the strings to convey affection over the years and build a bridge of Sino-Japanese exchanges with the erhu.
Consul General Yang Xian said that in the new year, we look forward to working with all walks of life in central Japan to fully implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries at their meeting in San Francisco last November, inherit and carry forward the tradition of people-to-people friendship, carry out extensive people-to-people exchanges, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, promote people-to-people bonds, and build a deeper and firmer foundation for the cause of China-Japan friendship.
Toshiken Matsuo, Vice Mayor of Nagoya City and President of Nagoya Sister Sister Cities, congratulated the success of the 19th Sakura Erhu Concert, saying that the Nanjing Chinese Orchestra joined the Nanjing Chinese Orchestra as a fusion of the charms of China and Japan, and he was particularly happy to be able to enjoy such a concert with Consul General Yang Xian.
Vice Mayor Matsuo said that Nanjing and Nagoya have had extensive exchanges since they became sister cities in 1978, and that last year, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary, he visited Nanjing as the chairman of Nagoya City's sister sister cities, and had a very meaningful exchange. He said that in the future, he will take advantage of various opportunities to deepen exchanges between the two cities and promote friendly relations between China and Japan. He said that in recent years, Mr. Zhang Bin, as an ambassador for Nagoya City Tourism and Cultural Exchange, has worked hard to promote friendly exchanges between elementary schools in Nanjing and Nagoya through erhu.
In addition to the Zhang Bin Erhu Troupe, there are also Nanjing Chinese Orchestra, the Japanese Erhu Orchestra led by erhu player Liang Tianren, and the Great Wall Orchestra led by pipa player Ye Weiyang. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the Nanjing Chinese Orchestra, under the leadership of Mr. Lai Wei, the head of the visiting troupe, met with the audience for the first time in five years. In addition, Chen Yang, a young composer who had previously participated in the 14th Sakura Erhu Concert and head of the Nanjing Overseas Chinese Art Troupe, made a special trip to participate in the performance with a guitar out of his love for the Sakura Erhu Concert and his respect for Mr. Zhang Bin.
Zhang Bin Erhu Ensemble performed "Little Flower Drum" and "Kangding Love Song"; Nanjing Chinese Orchestra performed "Jasmine", "Spring in the South of the Yangtze River", "Playing Rock", "Colorful Clouds Chasing the Moon" and "Backgammon"; the Japanese Erhu Orchestra performed "Rain Breaks Jiangnan"; the Great Wall Orchestra performed "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night"; and Mr. Zhang Bin performed "Moon in the Deserted City" and "Woman Flower" as soloists. The Zhang Bin Erhu Orchestra also performed "Song of the Earth", "Wind and Moon in the Same Sky", "Cherry Blossoms" and other pieces with various orchestras.
Since last year, five elementary and junior high school students from Nagoya have once again taken the stage on behalf of the majority of young erhu lovers and performed the French folk song "Twinkling Stars ~ Edelweiss".
The Sakura Erhu Concert brings together people from all walks of life, with different themes and different styles, but whether it is a solo erhu performance, or an ensemble with Guzheng, Pipa, Sheng, Yueqin, Zhongruan, Daruan, Dizi and other musical instruments, or passionate worship, or crying and complaining, all of them tightly hold the heartstrings of the audience, highlighting the artists' pursuit of music and art, pouring their love for the mountains and rivers and humanities of China and Japan, and expressing their yearning for a better future. Because of this, the audience responded with warm applause again and again, and finally closed the curtain in the "Astro Boy" ensemble, which is familiar to both Chinese and Japanese audiences. Ms. Chika Kato, a former CBC radio announcer, presided over the concert in an orderly manner.
A thousand-year-old pipa, a thousand years of zither, a lifetime of erhula. In 1992, Mr. Zhang Bin left the Nanjing Frontline Song and Dance Troupe and crossed east alone with an erhu. After studying at Nagoya University of the Arts and Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts, he obtained Japan's first erhu art visa in 2000. Later, he formed a performance team and performed on various stages such as the Aichi World Expo and the Shanghai World Expo, which won praise from all walks of life. China Central Television, Xinhua News Agency and other media have reported on his deeds many times.
The erhu in Mr. Zhang Bin's hand can be described as "a piano rod standing up to the sky, and two strings connecting China and Japan". Over the years, he has been committed to popularizing erhu music in the island country, organizing charity performances after the Wenchuan earthquake and the Great East Japan Earthquake, bringing warmth to Chinese and Japanese societies and contributing to Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges. In 2023, he received a commendation from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan. At present, Mr. Zhang Bin serves as the chairman of the Zhang Bin Erhu Ensemble, the ambassador of Nagoya City Tourism and Culture Exchange, the overseas invited member of the Nanjing CPPCC, and the visiting professor of Nagoya University of the Arts.