Led by violinist Yao Jue, the Hong Kong String Orchestra performed at Canberra Theatre on Feb 5 to celebrate Chinese New Year.
Violinist Yao Jue leads the Hong Kong String Orchestra with a performance in Canberra. XIN XIN/CHINA DAILY
The orchestra is renowned for its fusion of Chinese and Western musical styles. The performance started with a classic Chinese song "Shanghai Bund," after which artistic director Yao personally performed Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," both resonating deeply with the audience and earning waves of applause.
Violinist Yao Jue leads the Hong Kong String Orchestra with a performance in Canberra. XIN XIN/CHINA DAILY
According to the presenter Ausfeng Group, this is the first time the Hong Kong String Orchestra has performed in Australia and also the first Chinese string orchestra to tour the country.
In addition to Canberra, the Hong Kong String Orchestra's Australia tour also includes Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.
Before the concert, the Chinese Embassy in Australia hosted the 2025 Chinese New Year Reception.
Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian extends New Year greetings at the reception. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Ambassador Xiao Qian extended his greetings to guests, emphasizing that Chinese New Year originated from China and is shared by people all over the world.
"The recent successful inscription of the Chinese New Year on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list, further enhanced its global significance," he said.
Xiao emphasized that cultural exchange is an important part of China-Australia bilateral relations.
"Over the past decades, the two countries have maintained close people-to-people exchanges and frequent cultural and artistic interactions," he said. "The Chinese side is willing to work with the Australian side to continue strengthening cultural exchanges and fostering mutual understanding, promoting further development in bilateral relations."
