Collection China
An army of buried warriors, lion dances, dancing shadows and a tornado of fire... experience the vibrant diversity of the arts across China.
China: Arts & Culture
A glimpse of the history and diversity of China’s performing arts
This video, from the archives of the Kennedy Center’s Education Division, brings you a glimpse of the history and diversity of China’s performing arts, including highlights from the Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, a shadow puppet performance from Shaanxi Folk Art Theater, a look at the exhibition of Terra Cotta Warriors, and an excerpt from Cai Guo-Qiang’s Tornado: Explosion Project for the Festival of China at the Kennedy Center.
Lesson Content
Highlights from ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp’s Festival of China
Highlights from ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵÃâ·Ñ°æapp’s Festival of China
Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble’s extensive repertoire and virtuoso musicians demonstrate the range of distinctive styles that developed in each region for erhu (fiddle), pipa (lute), and other instruments.
Join the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for a lecture and demonstration explaining each of the four sections of the Chinese orchestra as well as some of the individual instruments.
Watch a side-by-side video of Shaanxi Folk Art Theater that shows the story of the turtle and the crane as seen by the audience and behind the screen as the puppeteers bring the story to life.
The Terra Cotta Warriors are a collection of 8,000 statues that were buried over 2,000 years ago in the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Three of the statues—two soldiers and a horse—were sent to the Kennedy Center for display during the Festival of China.
Watch an excerpt from Cai Guo-Qiang’s Tornado: Explosion Project for the Festival of China, which includes both the dancing boats and the fireworks tornado.
Artists of the Yi and Wa ethnic groups from Yunnan Province—the most ethnically diverse in China—demonstrate their unique folk traditions in this excerpt from the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage show.
Additional Arts of China Videos
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Kris Holodek
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Tiffany A. Bryant
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Kenny Neal
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Updated
April 18, 2022
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Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; Annenberg Foundation; the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Bank of America; Bender Foundation, Inc.; Capital One; Carter and Melissa Cafritz Trust; Carnegie Corporation of New York; DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities; Estée Lauder; Exelon; Flocabulary; Harman Family Foundation; The Hearst Foundations; the Herb Alpert Foundation; the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The King-White Family Foundation and Dr. J. Douglas White; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Little Kids Rock; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation;
The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Music Theatre International; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; the National Endowment for the Arts; Newman’s Own Foundation; Nordstrom; Park Foundation, Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives; Prince Charitable Trusts; Soundtrap; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; UnitedHealth Group; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Dennis & Phyllis Washington; and Wells Fargo. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts.
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