Beijing wheels out soft power for ‘Millennial Road’ gala performance

Executive director of Beijing Olympics ceremonies showcases the spectrum of Chinese culture – and beyond

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Performers dance during the Millennial Road at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Sunday night. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 4:03pm, 15 May 2017Updated: 4:07pm, 15 May 2017

All eyes were on China for its biggest diplomatic event of the year – the Belt and Road Initiative summit – where leaders hoped to win over nations by wielding Beijing’s soft power alongside its display of political and economic clout.

The two-day summit kicked off with an evening banquet on Sunday, welcoming heads of state from 29 countries and representatives from over 80 others with colourful performances of Chinese culture at Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.

Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, attends the welcoming banquet for the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People on Sunday. Photo: AFP

With president Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan seated in the front row next to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the show featured the time-honoured Kunqu opera classic The Palace of Eternal Youth, a performance of the nationalistic soprano I Love You, China, and music from Dream of the Red Chamber – a television series based on one of China’s Four Great Classic Novels.

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Performances were set against backdrops of some of China’s most beloved locales, from Hangzhou’s West Lake to Beijing’s Summer Palace. Sun Wukong, the mythical monkey king from the 16th century epic Journey to the West, even made an appearance.