Dusseldorf, Germany - Some 80 people attended a celebration to greeting the Chinese New Year on February 12 in the Asia Restaurant in Dusseldorf.
From the very beginning guests were treated with the subtle tones of traditional Chinese music. Bing-Jie Chen, student of music sciences, explained the principles of Chinese music and its writing, which differs considerably from Western music. One of the highlights was a performance with the typical Gu Zheng, a Chinese stringed instrument. Traditional peaces were performed, including “The Fisherman’s Evening Song,” “Beautiful Jasmine Flower” (a traditional Chinese melody used by Puccini in his last opera, Turandot), and modern music “Rock ‘n' Roll on Gu Zheng.” After the performance, guests and children alike were allowed to probe their talent in playing the Gu Zheng.
The youth of Dusseldorf served by taking care of the children in a separate room. The youth were also responsible for registration and hosting of the guests.
Dr. Deiwiks then introduced the secrets of Chinese writing and explained the different meanings of characters. Sergio Brina, chair of UPF-Dusseldorf, gave a presentation on the five principles leading to world peace, which also serve as the basic philosophy for the Universal Peace Federation. He gave an overview of the worldwide activities of UPF International.
Mr. Huang Li Chuan and Mr. Kai Meng shared with the audience various customs for celebrating the New Year. Funny anecdotes spiced up the presentation.
Those who could remember what they learned were the fortunate winners of a quiz which was organized after the dinner. They were rewarded with a large book of on the island of Taiwan.
The gathering ended in mid-afternoon. Other are to follow: “A joint journey all over the world” is the title of a series of presentations planned by UPF-Dusseldorf this year. The journey will lead participants to various countries and cultures all around the globe. It started with China and will continue to Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Gambia, Japan, and Korea before returning back to Germany. Dates and times of the events will be announced in due time.