Telling Chongqing’s Stories to the World: Cultural and Friendship Exchanges with El Salvador and the Philippines

In the golden autumn of September, two transnational events used art as a bridge to promote Bayu culture in an international context, expanding Chongqing’s international presence in culture and tourism, and telling Chongqing’s stories to the world. The events include the “Chongqing se encuentra con El Salvador (Chongqing Meeting with El Salvador),” communicating with Latin America through music and image, and a joint performance by musicians from Chongqing and Manila, the Philippines in tribute to the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the Philippines.     

Music and Pictures Conveying the Charm of China-Latin American Cultural Integration    

On the evening of September 7, with the lights of the Chongqing Jialing River Cableway Museum, the Jialing River shimmered beneath the night sky. The “Telling Chongqing’s Stories to the World: Chongqing se encuentra con El Salvador” Concert and Photo Exhibition was spectacularly staged. It was jointly hosted by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development and the Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government.

The event was attended by Luis López, Ambassador of El Salvador to China; Zhu Mao, Deputy Director-General of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development; representatives from Foreign Affairs Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government, Publicity Department of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Public Security, Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce, and Port and Logistics Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government; consular officers in Chongqing; and guests from Chongqing’s cultural, tourism, business, and education sectors.

Through music, image, and exhibition, the event further promoted cultural exchange and mutual learning between the two sides. It not only communicated the passionate charm of El Salvador but also showcased Chongqing’s openness and inclusiveness to the world.

Zhu Mao stated that El Salvador is an important partner of China in Central America, and Chongqing is accelerating its development as a world-renowned cultural and tourism destination. Chongqing attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with El Salvador. In recent years, positive results have been achieved across trade, culture, and sub-national friendship. In particular, the signing of a sister-city memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Chongqing and San Salvador Centro has laid a solid foundation for deeper exchanges and cooperation. This event demonstrated Chongqing’s firm commitment to expanding its international network of partnerships.

Ambassador Luis López praised Chongqing’s vitality as a hub for cultural development and innovation in western China, noting that Salvadoran pop lyric trio OPUS 503 chose Chongqing for their first performance in China — a vivid sign of the deepening ties between the two sides. He expressed hope that the event would let more Chongqing residents experience El Salvador’s unique charms and inject new momentum into cultural and tourism cooperation between the two sides.

That evening, OPUS 503 and local Chongqing artists shared the stage, using culture as a bond to build a bridge of friendship between China and El Salvador. They performed seven classical pieces, including “Granada,” “In Fantasy,” and “Corazón de A?il (Indigo Heart).” The impassioned melodies and stirring performances gave the audience an immersive experience of Latin American music.

The concurrent photo exhibition displayed 22 images from El Salvador, depicting human and natural landscapes such as flower blooms and Palm Sunday, the Jiquilisco Bay Biosphere Reserve, and Maya civilization ruins. 17 images of Chongqing showed cultural symbols such as the Dazu Rock Carvings, underwater inscriptions at the White Crane Ridge, and the Tongliang Fire Dragon Dance, allowing guests to directly experience the historical inheritance and vitality of both locales.     

Bayu Culture and Art Shining at“Event by the Chinese Cultural Courier”    

On September 7, the “Concert of the Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War — the 15th Event by the Chinese Cultural Courier” event, co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines and the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Association of the Philippines, was held in Manila, capital of the Philippines.

Huang Xilian, Ambassador of China to the Philippines, attended and delivered remarks. More than 1,200 people from the Philippine government, diplomatic missions of other countries, overseas Chinese communities, media, and various sectors were present. Artists from Chongqing Performing Arts Group joined with the Manila Symphony Orchestra and the Philippine Children’s Choir to present a spectacular audio-visual program.

The concert gave a grand opening with the majestic “Ode to the Red Flag.” From Chinese classics such as “Butterfly Love,” “Yellow River,” and “Setting Sail,” to Philippine traditional music such as “Moon in the Mountain,” “Walking Hand in Hand,” and the “1970s Suite,” the audience experienced a fusion of Eastern and Western musical cultures and a collision of history and modernity. The concert concluded with “From Jasmine to Turandot,” with long and enthusiastic applause.

The person-in-charge of the Manila Symphony Orchestra said that Chinese and Philippine artists performing China’s symphonic classics together reflected the power of music to transcend borders and highlighted their shared vision for a harmonious future.

An official from Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development said that Chongqing’s art “going global” in cross-national cultural exchange used music as a medium to look back on history and call for peace, used art as a bridge to commemorate the 50th anniversary of China-Philippines diplomatic relations, and used culture as the core to enhance Chongqing’s international recognition and reputation in culture and tourism.

As the only invited Chinese art group at the concert, Chongqing Performing Arts Group’s cross-border exchange performance represented another successful practice of the Bayu culture’s global promotion plan, and further raised the international visibility and influence of the cultural-tourism brand “Majestic Landscapes, Charming Chongqing.”