On the evening of September 14, the 2023 Beijing Culture Forum Art Performance was held at the Big Air Shougang. Hu Heping, Deputy Head of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Minister of Culture and Tourism; Zhang Hongsen, Secretary of the CPC Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the China Writers Association; Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing; and Liu Wei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, attended the event.

On the banks of the Yongding River, the Big Air Shougang was illuminated by a stunning display of colorful lights at night. At around 8:00 p.m., the event kicked off with the song and dance "Origin Tracing". Through innovative expressions of music, poetry, painting, and dance, the gala showcased the harmonious coexistence of civilizations. In the program "Sailing Together", musicians from China, Greece, Egypt, Iraq, and India rode in the same boat and played classic melodies such as "High Mountains and Flowing Waters" and "Jasmine Flower" with ancient musical instruments from different civilizations, echoing the harmonious blend of sounds of civilizations. The serial melodramas consisting of five time-travel plays - "Seeking Tao", "Literati Gathering", "Guardian", "Hometown", and "As Promised" - showed the magic moments when civilizations met each other. The song "Greatest Chinese Style" manifested the "most poetic Chinese artistic conceptions" through popular phrases from the poetry of Tang Dynasty and the iambic verses of Song Dynasty. The song "Hometown is Beijing" paid tribute to the heroes who fought against the flood. Accompanied by the familiar melody of "Together for a Shared Future", the gala climaxed with all the performers and audience singing and dancing to relive the memories of the "Dual Olympic City". The song and dance "A Long History" brought the event to a close.

Produced by Beijing Radio & Television Station, the gala closely follows the forum's permanent theme of "inheritance, creativity and mutual learning", while focusing on this year's theme of "Inheriting Excellent Culture, Promoting Exchanges and Cooperation", highlighting its position as a state-level, international event with Beijing characteristics.

The event was also attended by heads of relevant departments of the Central Government and Beijing Municipal Government, government officials of some countries, diplomatic envoys and representatives of international organizations in China, Chinese and foreign experts and scholars, and representatives of cultural sector.

(Written by Yang Qi)