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China’s Sichuan Earthquake Relief at:

A Glimpse of China, Chinese Culture and Arts Festival

In response to the recent major earthquake in Washington’s sister state, China’s Sichuan Province, the Washington Chinese Art and Culture Committee, producer of the Seattle Center’s A Glimpse of China, Chinese Culture and Arts Festival, has planned special performances to raise funds for the earthquake victims during the festival that takes place from 11:00 A.M. – 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, May 31, 2008. The special performers will include the master of “Change of Face,” Sichuan native artist J.D. Zhang ( 张建东) and the master of the morin khurr, the horse-head fiddle of Inner Mongolia Mr. Bo Li (李波).

The nationally acclaimed artist from the Sichuanese “King of Masks” will present one of China’s greatest treasures, the secret art of “Change of Face.” Developed in the Sichuan Opera and passed down from master to student over the years, this melodramatic art uses rapidly changing facial colors and expressions to display the different motifs of Chinese Opera.

Mr. Bo Li, a Chinese Inner Mongolia grassland native, is a 2007-2008 Visiting Artist in Residence of the Ethnomusicology Program at the University of Washington. Li is a master of the morin khurr, the horse-head fiddle of Inner Mongolia, and he is a member of the Mongolian nationality, one of the 56 Chinese ethnic nationalities. Arguably the musical instrument most identified with Mongolia, the morin khuur has two strings made from horse hair and a distinctive decorative carving of a horse's head on top.

Other Chinese performers include Seattle Chinese Orchestra lead by Warren Zhang, Hengda Dance Academy dancers, Chinese Wushu and Tai Chi Academy, Zhenlun Cello Group lead by Zhenlun Li and Shen Qin, Melody Institute Chinese Children’s Dance, Sound of May Choir and Dou Re Mi Children’s choir, NWCS Chinese Children’s Dance, Haiying Li Violin Studio, etc.

These daytime benefit performances for earthquake relief are open to the public with free admission in Center House of Seattle Center. The donation to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund is voluntary.

In the evening, the special artist, Sichuanese “King of Masks” Master J.D. Zhang and the master of the morin khurr, the horse-head fiddle of Inner Mongolia Mr. Bo Li. will perform their arts at a dinner event to be held at 7:00 P.M. at the Seven Star Pepper Sichuan Restaurant, a Sichuan restaurant in Seattle’s International District, located at 1207 South Jackson Street. The cost of the benefit dinner is $50.00 per person. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the Sichuan Earthquake Relief Fund. For more information, please visit http://www.chinaartandculture.com. To reserve dinner space, please e-mail Wendy Jia at wjzhch@netzero.com or call (206) 427-4283, or email Esther Wu, estherw2024@yahoo.com.

(Please see the original press release from the City of Seattle Mayor GREGORY J. NICKELS below for more information about the Glimpse of China, Chinese Culture and Arts Festival)

City of Seattle
Mayor GREGORY J. NICKELS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Deborah Daoust / (206) 386.1974 deborah.daoust@seattle.gov

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Create Connections at Safeco Insurance Festál:

A Glimpse of China, Chinese Culture and Arts Festival

Five thousand years of history and culture come to life at the fourth annual Safeco Insurance Festál: A Glimpse of China, Chinese Culture and Arts Festival, Saturday, May 31, 2008, at Center House.

The Safeco Insurance Festál: A Glimpse of China celebrates one of the world’s ancient civilizations through the rich traditions of dance, music, martial arts and costumes. The festival features visual arts displays, cultural exhibits, books, traveling and gift booths, Seattle's own Chinese garden and an array of interactive exhibits.

Nationally acclaimed artists from the Northwest and China participate in the one-day event. This year, the Sichuanese “King of Masks” Master J.D. Zhang ( 张建东) presents one of China’s greatest treasures, the secret art of “Change of Face.” Developed at the Sichuan Opera and passed down from master to student over the years, this melodramatic art uses rapidly changing facial colors and expressions to display the different motifs of Chinese Opera. Master Zhang has performed on stages across North America, from the Lincoln Center to the Belagio Casino Hotel.

Did you know? Ping-Pong helped open U.S. diplomatic relations with China in the early 1970s through a cultural exchange. Another cultural exchange will take place at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing when Gao Jun, a former Chinese table tennis silver medalist and naturalized U.S. citizen, plays for the United States.

The purpose of A Glimpse of China, presented by the Washington Chinese Art and Culture Committee, is to foster understanding and opportunities for collaboration between local Chinese and American communities and between China and the United States through art and cultural activities. The festival is open to the public with free admission from11:00 AM to 6:00 PM.

For more information on the Safeco Insurance Festál: A Glimpse of China, Chinese Culture and Arts Festival, as well as a complete listing of Seattle Center festival events, click on www.chinaartandculture.com or visit the Safeco Insurance Festál website at: www.seattlecenter.com/festal.

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