The Closing Ceremony
The 2024 Fujian Arts Festival concluded on November 15th in Fuzhou. Featuring a variety of performances and exhibitions, the festival is the largest and most prestigious cultural and artistic event in Fujian Province. This year, it offered activities across the entire province, engaging over 9,000 artists in nearly 400 main events and over 1,200 related activities. The festival drew over 850,000 attendees to theaters, art galleries, museums, and scenic sites, while more than 110 million people participated online by watching the live-streamed events.
At the awarding section of the closing ceremony, 17 organizations, including the Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, received the Excellent Organization Award and the Organization Award for their contributions to this year’s festival. The Min Opera show Painting the Mesh Turban and 18 other productions won the Outstanding Play Award at the 29th Provincial Joint Drama Performance. The Nanyin performance Eternal Rites and Music and 8 other productions received the Outstanding Production Award at the 6th Provincial Music, Dance, Acrobatics, and Quyi Performance. Moreover, 70 artworks and calligraphy pieces, including the artistic work Lingering Charm of Chinese Opera and the calligraphy work To One Unnamed: a Poem by Yan Shu, were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 1st Fujian Biennial Exhibition for Young and Middle-Aged Artists and Calligraphers.
The closing ceremony also featured the “Charm of Fujian” performance, a report-back show of the festival. As a highlight of the festival, the closing ceremony showcased the best works and new shows by emerging talented artists, presenting the festival’s latest achievements and distinctive characteristics. With a clear theme and strong regional traits of Fujian, these performances blended profound ideas, artistry, and visual appeal. The closing ceremony, from multiple perspectives, showed the efforts of Fujian artists in enhancing cultural influence and presenting the renewed image of Fujian for the new era. It also offered the audience an artistic feast.
