On a scorching Saturday afternoon, people lined up despite the heat to wait patiently to enter a free live performance at Beijing's Culture and Creative Park. The crowd gathered at a party area composed of red-brick buildings was rather diverse, young and old, Chinese and foreigners. They were all in attendance for one reason: the Fete de la Musique.
Fete de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that falls on the day of the summer solstice - June 21. Originating in France, it was first held in Paris in 1982, but has now spread across many countries around the world.
In China, the celebration has proved so popular that the event in Beijing is being split across two separate dates this year.
While the first part of the celebration was held at the culture park on Saturday, the second part of the music celebration will be held at the OMNI Space at the capital's Tianqiao Art Center on Friday.
Kicking off at 3 pm on Saturday, the event attracted a fairly large crowd. It wasn't long before the theater was fully packed. Fortunately for those waiting to get in there was much to explore at the outdoor craftsman market held at the park. Near a stall selling Champagne and wine, two girls in Bohemian sundresses were sipping drinks and laughing, seemingly not bothered by the long wait at all.
The lineup for the performances from France included the MNNQNS band, Lewis Ofman and Djang San + Band, while the list of Chinese performers included the Les Deux Chiens band, singer Gao Jiafeng and Roktepux.
"The performances are beyond my expectations and the event is free. I really enjoyed the energy of the live show. The performance by Djang San + Band was particularly refreshing. They played traditional Chinese stringed instruments such as ruan and pipa to play such upbeat music. It is incredible," said Jules Zhu, who was dressed in a cool black T-shirt with a tiger head print.
Jules also noted that she was not familiar with the modern French music scene. When she thought about French music, classical music was what normally came to mind.
"After watching the performances today, I want to explore more modern works by French bands and musicians. I hope there are more events like this in the future as it is a great way to learn more about what's happening in French music and other cultural fields. It's easier for them to bring the music to us, instead of us aimlessly searching for music from the other side of the world," she added.
