On January 28, American pop rock band OneRepublic made history by performing at China Central Television's Spring Festival Gala, the first time a foreign band had ever been invited to this prestigious event that takes place annually on the eve of the Spring Festival, which fell on January 29 this year.

The gala, one of the most-watched television broadcasts in China, traditionally highlights the country's abundant cultural canvas through performances by local artists, dance and traditional musicians. At the gala's Wuhan venue in Hubei Province, the band performed their 2013 chart-topping hit Counting Stars, which achieved No.1 status in 54 countries and remains hugely popular in China. The performance has since garnered over 10 million likes and saves on NetEase Cloud Music, one of China's leading music streaming services, and has sparked an impressive 310 million views on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

OneRepublic's participation in the broadcast symbolizes the spiking cultural exchange between the United States and China. With both countries increasingly embracing each other's artistic expressions, they are enriching their cultural dialogue. As Sino-American relations continue to evolve, music, theater and art serve as bridges to greater understanding and mutual respect. Through performances, tours and collaborative creative projects, these two cultures are discovering common ground, fostering goodwill, and celebrating diversity in ways that transcend political and economic divides.

Beyond Broadway

In the second half of 2024, the U.S. brought its world-class art and culture to China through a series of captivating performances and tours. One of the standout events was the arrival of the original English production of Broadway's Chicago. From October 2024 to January 2025, this sold-out tour reached 11 Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, with 74 performances.

Renowned for its dazzling choreography, sharp thoughts and portrayal of the Roaring Twenties in the U.S., this iconic musical received an overwhelmingly positive response from Chinese audiences. Local critics lauded the production's bold staging and choreography, while theatergoers marveled at its satirical humor, an undeniable testament to the universal power of art. "The atmosphere was electric," said An Tao, a theatergoer from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in an interview with Beijing Review. "Even through translation, the story resonates."

The musical's success was not only a testament to the appeal of Broadway but also to China's increasing openness to Western art forms. With ticket sales surpassing expectations and rave reviews, the production underscored how American culture can transcend language and cultural barriers, offering a different perspective on global themes.

Last fall, the Philadelphia Orchestra, which first visited China in 1973 as a "band ambassador," returned to the country to perform its first concert with the full ensemble on October 31, 2024, at Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra referred to this tour as an "epic" journey.

During its tour, the orchestra gave nine performances in Beijing, Tianjin Municipality, Chengdu and Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, from October 31 to November 10. Notably, the ensemble visited Chengdu and Haikou for the first time, further expanding its cultural outreach.

During a concert in Beijing on November 2, the orchestra debuted Spring River Flowers by Moonlight, a piece inspired by China's Tang Dynasty (618-907) poetry and created by American composer Mason Bates. "When I was exploring this poem, I was just astounded at the beauty of the Chinese language, so it's really meaningful to me both as a composer [and as someone] who loves language and literature," Bates said in a pre-recorded video.

According to Matías Tarnopolsky, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the world premiere of this piece is a gift from the orchestra to the Chinese audience. Tarnopolsky also highlighted the importance of the visit, noting that over 100 members of the Philadelphia Orchestra participated in the tour. "This is crucial for people-to-people exchanges between China and the U.S., fostering deeper understanding and stronger connections between our cultures."

These cultural exchanges are made possible by mutual respect and a shared eagerness to explore different artistic traditions. The success of these activities suggests a growing interest in American theater and music, reflecting China's evolving role in the global cultural landscape. Moreover, China's welcoming attitude toward these art forms emphasizes the power of cultural diplomacy in bridging gaps and building mutual understanding between nations.

Harmony in motion

As American artists captivated Chinese audiences, Chinese New Year 2025 also brought a reciprocal wave of Chinese culture to the U.S. A defining moment was the premiere of Chinese New Year (A Ballet in Two Acts) by the National Ballet of China (NBC) at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on January 29.

In his remarks before the performance, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng stressed that the NBC is China's most prestigious ballet company, while the Kennedy Center stands as the artistic heart of the U.S. When these two iconic institutions team up, the result is nothing short of magical. According to Xie, Chinese New Year can be considered the Chinese version of The Nutcracker, a two-act ballet created by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and first performed in 1892, merging the beloved Christmas classic with the traditions of the Chinese Spring Festival and blending Western ballet with Chinese cultural elements.

In collaboration with the American National Children's Chorus and the Kennedy Center Orchestra, the NBC staged a spectacular fusion of music and dance, offering the audience an exceptional audiovisual experience. The performance not only showcased the charm of the Spring Festival but also exemplified the possibilities of harmonious coexistence through cross-cultural exchange.

However, cultural exchange activities celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival actually began earlier—in New York City. On January 16, the Prelude to the Spring Festival Gala, a special event hosted by China Media Group (CMG), took place at Gotham Hall. It became a microcosm of transcultural creativity.

Organized by CMG and its U.S. partners, the evening oscillated between reverence for heritage and bold experimentation. A mesmerizing performance that seamlessly merged various dance styles, showcasing ballet, hiplet, which is a fusion of hip-hop and ballet, and ribbon dance by the Exile Dance Team paid homage to both classical Chinese aesthetics and traditional ballet, while jazz virtuoso Huang Ye reworked the Chinese folk classic Golden Snake Frenzy into a brassy, improvisational anthem.

The showstopper, however, was a sustainable fashion spectacle where models strutted down the runway in outfits inspired by hanfu, the traditional attire of the Han Chinese, which had been crafted from recycled plastics. This showcased a nod to both China's Black Myth: Wukong, an action-adventure video game that draws inspiration from the classic Chinese literary work Journey to the West, and contemporary global dialogues about sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Beyond the spotlight, quieter yet profound interactions unfolded. From January 23 to February 2, Beijing's Prince Kung's Palace Museum and the Chinese Consulate General in New York co-hosted the Fortune's Arrival series of Spring Festival cultural events in the Big Apple. These celebrations took place at prominent diplomatic and cultural institutions, including the consulate, United Nations Headquarters, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Lincoln Center and the China Institute.

The workshops, which were the highlights of the events, gave families the opportunity to craft shadow puppets under the guidance of skilled artisans from Beijing. Children watched in awe as the lacquer fans they had painted transformed into glossy masterpieces, while adults engaged in discussion about the philosophy behind tenon-and-mortise woodworking, an ancient Chinese technique that now inspires modern sustainable design.

Cultural exchange between China and the U.S. today is about much more than just performances or art exhibitions. These activities are powerful symbols of the enduring potential for mutual respect and understanding between two of the world's most influential nations, reminding people that culture has the ability to transcend political divides, unite people, and forge pathways toward a more harmonious world. BR

(Print Edition Title: Cultural Crescendo)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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