Belt and Road music festival opens in China

Shenzhen (China), March 26: The three-week Belt and Road International Music Festival began in China s Shenzhen s city on Saturday.More than 700 musicians of 12 art-troupes from nearly 30 countries and regions will stage 16 concerts at the music carnival, which ends on April 16, Xinhua news agency reported. China has been seen fiercely promoting its ambitious Belt and Road project, which will connect Asia with Europe. The plan was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The festival, co-hosted by the government of Shenzhen and Chinese Musicians Association, aims to showcase the music of the countries along the Belt and Road and to strengthen the friendship of the people, said the organisers of the event.More than 1,500 people attended Saturday s opening. The performances ranged from suona solo "A Hundred Birds Worshipping the Phoenix", to aria "Habanera" from Bizet s opera "Carmen", to the choral finale of Beethoven s "Symphony No.9".