Latest news with #AdaZhang
The Star
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Feature: Music offers pathway for U.S.-China understanding
by Ada Zhang NEW YORK, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Music continues to serve as a powerful channel for understanding between China and the United States, said scholars and musicians who gathered at the annual international conference of the U.S.-China Music Institute. The three-day event, titled "Exploration and Resonance: Chinese Music in the West," opened on Thursday at the China Institute in New York. It was co-hosted by the institute and the Bard College Conservatory of Music. The event is part of the broader work of the U.S.-China Music Institute, which is based at Bard and has been promoting exchange between the two cultures through education and performance. "If you look at two countries, two regions, or two cultures through a political lens, you see conflict," Jindong Cai, director of the U.S.-China Music Institute, told Xinhua. "But if you look at them through a cultural point of view, you find connection. Music, in particular, is impossible to decouple." Cai recalled that in 1972, following then U.S. President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China, one of the first steps toward renewed engagement was an invitation for an American orchestra to perform. The Philadelphia Orchestra became the first U.S. orchestra to visit China in 1973, marking a symbolic moment in thawing relations between the two countries. "If you look at the past 50 years, so many American orchestras, musicians, and singers have visited China. And they've seen that China produces incredible musicians and compositions." American and Chinese musicians understand each other much better than any political situation, and they definitely want to continue collaborating, Cai said. Sheila Melvin, a writer and scholar who spoke at the conference, said cultural exchanges between the two countries, dating back to as early as the 19th century, attracted western musicians to understand Chinese music and the community. "I just hope we can have more of" that kind of people-to-people communication, she told Xinhua. Such exchange remains essential today, experts said. "If you have more Chinese coming to the U.S., obviously, there will be more interest in China," said Frank Kouwenhoven, a Dutch scholar and founder of CHIME, a platform for Chinese music. "If you have more Chinese students studying at an American university, then more Americans will also have some exposure to people from that corner of the Earth." The conference also highlighted contemporary efforts to build cultural bridges. The U.S.-China Music Institute runs a program in partnership with the Central Conservatory of Music that includes four main components: a degree program for Chinese instruments at Bard Conservatory, an annual China Now Music Festival in New York, an academic conference in the spring, and a summer program for high school students from both countries. Xiaogang Ye, dean of the School of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Chinese music today may offer something urgently needed, which is a sense of balance and emotional clarity. "Right now, we're seeing deep divisions across the globe. In this increasingly polarized world, perhaps Chinese music can take on a new role, not just as an artistic tradition, but as a form of emotional mediation, a means of restoring clarity and calm," said Ye, who is also a composer and president of the Chinese Musicians' Association. Thursday's panel discussion also featured Li Zhong, vice chairman of the University Council at the Central Conservatory of Music in China, and concluded with the performances by a guqin duet and a traditional Chinese ensemble. The evening program featured a concert by the Bard East-West Ensemble. The conference will continue in the coming days with additional sessions and performances at Bard College.
Borneo Post
29-04-2025
- Health
- Borneo Post
Traditional Chinese medicine 'a cross-cultural avenue' in NYC
Wang Lepeng (R), an associate professor from the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM), checks a visitor's pulse during a free clinic hosted by BUCM and New York-based Smart Health TCM Medical Center (Smart Health TCM) in Manhattan, New York, the United States, on April 25, 2025. (Photo by Ada Zhang/Xinhua) NEW YORK (April 30): A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) event was staged Friday in Manhattan, New York, as part of broader efforts to promote TCM and enhance international understanding of traditional healing arts. The event, cohosted by Beijing University of Chinese Medicine (BUCM) and New York-based Smart Health TCM Medical Center (Smart Health TCM), featured a TCM lecture, a free TCM clinic, a demonstration of traditional Chinese aerobic exercise Baduanjin or Eight Pieces of Brocade, herbal tea tasting and herbal sachet-making workshops. Jonathan Papish, one of scores of participants at the event, joined in practicing Baduanjin. Papish used to live in China for six years and now works as an acupuncturist in New York. While living in Beijing, he turned to acupuncture for relief from a chronic cough and neck pain. 'It helped me,' he told Xinhua. After returning to the United States, he tried Western treatments and other therapies but found them less effective. 'Nothing helped as much as acupuncture and Qigong. I find it very effective for myself,' he said, adding that the TCM pulled him out of a 'dark place' of health challenges and eventually motivated him to study the practice. 'It's a long journey with studying here for a long time,' he said. Visitors practice traditional Chinese aerobic exercise Baduanjin or Eight Pieces of Brocade, at New York-based Smart Health TCM Medical Center (Smart Health TCM) in Manhattan, New York, the United States on April 25, 2025. (Photo by Ada Zhang/Xinhua) Papish now operates his own acupuncture and herbal clinics. 'Acupuncture is bridging two different cultures and countries,' Papish said. 'The TCM has become a cross-cultural avenue for mutual understanding.' Friday's event marked the final stop of the BUCM's week-long U.S. tour, which included a 'Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture Open Day' in Washington, D.C., as well as visits to the West Chester University and the United Nations. Acupuncture has gained significant mainstream acceptance in the United States in recent years. Major insurance providers, including Medicare and private insurers, now cover acupuncture treatments for specific conditions such as chronic pain and migraines. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has officially recognized acupuncture as a safe and effective treatment option for various conditions. 'Just go outside and look — there are a lot of acupuncture clinics in New York and across the West. It's become part of the wellness industry, focusing on stress management, anxiety and relief from overwhelming feelings,' said Papish. Alan Breitman, another participant at Friday's event, has similar experiences with the TCM as Papish's. Suffering from eczema and allergies, Breitman said his TCM treatment is 'a steady progression' that requires patience. 'It's very incremental, unlike Western medicine where you expect big results quickly,' he told Xinhua. 'With the TCM, it's a process.' – Xinhua healthcare New York City traditional chinese medicine
