BEIJING-The opening ceremony of the 2024 Beijing Great Wall Cultural Festival was held on June 7 at Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area.

The ceremony brought together more than 20 art groups, presenting a Great Wall cultural audio-visual feast.

The ceremony started with the Prologue: Karaoke for All, and the followings are the 13 performances of the event.

1- Signing Chorus: “The Ballad of the Great Wall”

2- Drum Dance: “Dancing on the Great Wall”

3- Ancient Style Recitation: “Ode to the Juyong Pass”

4- Jingxi Taiping Drum: “The Shadows are Fluttering”

5- Operas of Beijing: “Songs of the Frontier”

6- Chanting and Bel Canto: “The Bond of Civilization”

7- Piano and Dance: The Fourth Movement of “Yellow River”

8- Erhu and Orchestra: The Fourth Movement of “The Great Wall Capriccio”

9- Group Clapper Talk: “The Happiness Road”

10- Group Dance: “Wheat Waves in Wind”

11- Violin and Acrobatics: “Great Wall Iron Guard”

12- Recitation: “The Great Wall and I”

13- Square Dance: “The Great Wall Will Never Fall”

The Badaling Great Wall is located at the northern end of the Guangou Ancient Path in Jundu Mountain, Yanqing district of Beijing. It’s a crucial part of the Great Wall, an extraordinary defensive project in ancient China, as well as an important pass of the Ming Great Wall. As a significant outpost of the Juyong Pass, it was historically noted that “the peril of Juyong Pass lies not in the pass itself but in Badaling”.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is one of the eighth grand views of the Juyong Pass in Ming Dynasty. Badaling Great Wall is the earliest section of the Ming Great Wall that opened to tourists, and serves as the core of the Badaling scenic area. Modern tourist amenities such as the Badaling Hotel and China Great Wall Museum, inscribed by Chairman Jiang Zemin, have also been built for visitors. Recognized as a National Civilized Scenic and Tourist Area demonstration site, Badaling is famous for its majestic scenery, comprehensive facilities and rich cultural and historical significance, making it a world-renowned tourist destination

It should be mentioned that almost 100 journalists from over 90 countries were among the audience of the Great Wall Cultural Festival Opening Ceremony. This participation was organized by the China International Press Communication Center (CIPCC).

CIPCC, under the China Public Diplomacy Association (CPDA), has initiated a program to build a platform for the media from countries around the world, especially developing countries, to observe China and study development in this country.

In each edition of the program, journalists from all around the world gather together to get familiar with the modern China and exchange their experiences in the field of journalism.

In 2024 edition of the program, started in late February, over 100 journalists from more than 90 countries are participating.

Photo By Mahnaz Abdi