Music fest attracts international acts

The 2013 Zhangjiajie International Country Music Week will be held from Aug 31 to Sept 4 in Zhangjiajie, a city in Hunan province, popular with tourists for its beautiful scenery. This year's festival will feature 25 bands from 23 countries and regions, including The Voice Factory from Germany, Drum Tribe from South Africa, and The Spaghetti Cowboys from Australia. There will also be folk groups from Yunnan, Guizhou and Qinghai provinces and the Xinjiang Uygur, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet autonomous regions of China. Zhangjiajie International Country Music Week began in 2009.

Seminar on respected singing talent show

A seminar on the 30-year history of the China Central Television National Young Singers' Competition was held recently, attracting singers, experts and officials. Participants believe that compared to the various TV talent shows that are popular today, the CCTV National Young Singers' Competition has maintained its seriousness and responsibility in documenting and advancing China's singing art. Founded in 1984, the CCTV National Young Singers' Competition was the first of its kind in China. Over three decades, it has discovered some of China's best-known singers such as Peng Liyuan, Song Zuying and Dai Yuqiang.

Golden Bell to be awarded in Guangzhou

The Ninth Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music will be held in Guangzhou from Nov 19 to 26. A series of events to celebrate the award will include music competitions, concerts and community performances and lectures. After preliminary selections, 458 short-listed contestants from all over China will take part in the vocal and instrumental competitions for the Golden Bell awards. Organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Chinese Musicians' Association, it is one of the highest-level music awards in China.

Three college students to attend APEC

Three Chinese college students have won the chance to attend this October's APEC Summit with Chinese leaders on the resort island of Bali after participating in the 2013 Model APEC. The competition has attracted 84 contestants from seven countries including the US, Russia and China for its final competition in Beijing last month. Model APEC meeting is a simulation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Each contestant plays a role of either representative of leaders or entrepreneurs attending APEC Summit to simulate a high-level meeting. The competition, held once a year from 2010, aims to attract more young people to be involved in foreign affairs.

China Daily

(China Daily USA 08/20/2013 page10)