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East meets West in music event held at Chinese Embassy

By YIFAN XU in Washington | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2026-04-27 11:49
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A performance mixed by cello, guqin, percussion, and singing at the "Tea for Harmony: East Meets West in Music" event on Friday at the Chinese Embassy in the US in Washington, DC. [Photo by YIFAN XU/chinadaily.com.cn]

With the delicate fragrance of incense and the ancient resonance of the guqin, the Chinese Embassy in Washington was transformed into an immersive cultural space on Friday evening. The Tea for Harmony: East Meets West in Music event brought together over 200 guests to experience the "Four Arts of Life" — tea ceremony, incense burning, flower arrangement and hanging scroll paintings — before an innovative concert that bridged Eastern and Western traditions.

The evening commenced with interactive cultural stations where guests sampled rare teas and observed gongfu cha, or "making tea with skill". Masters demonstrated the multisensory ritual, emphasizing a sense of calm and connection with nature. These experiential segments, expanded for this event, invited participants to engage directly with the refined aesthetics of traditional Chinese life before the main performance.

Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng delivered a keynote address titled "A green leaf that spans the ages, A cup of tea shared with friends", grounding his remarks in the seasonal rhythm of Guyu (Grain Rain). He described tea as the "enduring spirit of Chinese civilization" and interpreted the Chinese character for tea, 茶 (chá), as a symbol of harmony between humanity and nature.

"In sipping tea and savoring its taste, one needs to seek refinement and cultivate a noble character," Xie said. "And in serving tea to others, one needs to show respect, sincerity and courtesy. So each small tea leaf is a gateway to profound Chinese philosophy."

Xie highlighted the modern momentum of the industry, noting that China's tea industry chain surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($146 billion) last year. He portrayed the "tea economy" as a vibrant example of new quality productive forces, citing smart tea gardens and the first national digital platform for tea carbon footprints. He also noted that new-style tea brands like Heytea and Chagee are now "wildly popular" in the United States.

Turning to bilateral relations, Xie talked about historical bonds, from the 18th-century voyage of The Empress of China to the tea gifts presented during the visits of president Richard Nixon and his national security adviser Henry Kissinger in the 1970s.

"Tea and coffee are not incompatible; when brought together, they can blend into creative drinks that take the world by storm," Xie said. "It takes time to truly appreciate the fragrance of tea. Likewise, states need patience and steady resolve when engaging with one another."

He stressed that while it is "unrealistic" for China and the US to remodel each other, they can find a path to shared prosperity. "As long as we follow the strategic guidance of our presidents, show mutual respect, stick to the bottom line of peaceful coexistence, and strive for the vision of win-win cooperation, we can gradually find a path leading to respective success and shared prosperity," he concluded.

The ensuing concert showcased this spirit of fusion. The Juntianyunhe Ensemble, joined by American cellist Jacques-Pierre Malan and violinist Vadim Tchijik, performed a repertoire that blended the nearly 3,000-year-old guqin with Western strings. In pieces like Wandering Mind, the improvisational interplay between the guqin and cello merged Eastern lyricism with Western musical structures, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the audience.

One standout performance, A Galloping Steed, utilized the morin khuur and percussion to capture the energy of the grasslands. The finale, Fusion, brought all instruments together in a unique artistic dialogue that bridged cultural boundaries through sound.

Greg Bland, founder of ThingsToDoDC and co-organizer of the event with the Embassy Series, pointed to the power of such gatherings to China Daily. "Regardless of where we get along politically or historically right now ... Chinese culture still brings us together," Bland said. "Learning about it is like learning about a different person and learning about different people, and it helps build personal friendships."

Diego Uffel, a senior economist at the World Bank, attended the event with his artist wife. "It was beautiful, the combination of different activities starting with the tea ... and then a very welcome reception by the ambassador, which was a touching speech," Uffel remarked. "In general, there are a lot of economic studies showing that the more we get to know each other, the more we find similarities, and then we get to understand each other better."

yifanxu@chinadailyusa.com

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