Collection China
An army of buried warriors, lion dances, dancing shadows and a tornado of fire... experience the vibrant diversity of the arts across China.
China: Arts & Culture
A glimpse of the history and diversity of China’s performing arts
This video, from the archives of the Kennedy Center’s Education Division, brings you a glimpse of the history and diversity of China’s performing arts, including highlights from the Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, a shadow puppet performance from Shaanxi Folk Art Theater, a look at the exhibition of Terra Cotta Warriors, and an excerpt from Cai Guo-Qiang’s Tornado: Explosion Project for the Festival of China at the Kennedy Center.
Lesson Content
Highlights from The Kennedy Center’s Festival of China
Highlights from The Kennedy Center’s Festival of China
Beijing Traditional Music Ensemble’s extensive repertoire and virtuoso musicians demonstrate the range of distinctive styles that developed in each region for erhu (fiddle), pipa (lute), and other instruments.
Join the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra for a lecture and demonstration explaining each of the four sections of the Chinese orchestra as well as some of the individual instruments.
Watch a side-by-side video of Shaanxi Folk Art Theater that shows the story of the turtle and the crane as seen by the audience and behind the screen as the puppeteers bring the story to life.
The Terra Cotta Warriors are a collection of 8,000 statues that were buried over 2,000 years ago in the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Three of the statues—two soldiers and a horse—were sent to the Kennedy Center for display during the Festival of China.
Watch an excerpt from Cai Guo-Qiang’s Tornado: Explosion Project for the Festival of China, which includes both the dancing boats and the fireworks tornado.
Artists of the Yi and Wa ethnic groups from Yunnan Province—the most ethnically diverse in China—demonstrate their unique folk traditions in this excerpt from the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage show.
Additional Arts of China Videos
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Video
Kris Holodek
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Copy Editor
Tiffany A. Bryant
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Producer
Kenny Neal
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Updated
April 18, 2022
Related Resources
Collection Asia and Pacific Islands
Fish painting, lion dances, larger-than-life calligraphy, shadow puppets, a tornado of fire, and much more! Experience the vibrant diversity of the arts across Asia and the Pacific Islands.
Kennedy Center Education provides resources and experiences that inspire, excite, and empower students and young artists, plus the tools and connections to help educators incorporate the arts into classrooms and learning spaces of all types.
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Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.
Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Genesis Inspiration Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;
Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..
The content of these programs may have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but does not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the federal government.