Wang Yuanyuan

    cheekywang@hotmail.com

    “ODE to Humanity,” created, commissioned and composed in Shenzhen, is “an artistic contribution to the world,” Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO’s assistant director-general for culture, said over the weekend.

    Bandarin made the remarks before Saturday’s performance of the piece in Paris, marking the celebration of International Day of Peace. The concert, performed by Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, began a program of events compiled by UNESCO to commemorate the annual day.

    “The symphony expresses the same concept of new humanism proposed by UNESCO. Inviting the orchestra to perform on International Day of Peace is very meaningful,” Bandarin said. “It is an ode to new humanism and creative culture.”

    New humanism promotes cultural diversity and innovation, and creative culture is an important force to promote sustainable development, he said.

    “Peace is an important task for UNESCO. We thank the symphony’s creators very much for producing such a great artistic contribution to the world and peace,” he said.

    Bandarin also spoke highly of the city’s development in cultural industries.

    “Shenzhen has put a lot of effort into promoting cultural industries and has become an important UNESCO world cultural partner,” Bandarin said.

    Several major projects are under discussion between UNESCO and Shenzhen. “Shenzhen is fully capable of becoming a ‘world reading capital,’ and is making great investments in books and reading,” he said. “Shenzhen is putting a lot of effort into promoting books and reading in China and the world. The book and reading industry has a very close relationship with education, art and related industries, and UNESCO will launch more cooperative efforts with Shenzhen in these areas.”

    Bandarin is expected to visit Shenzhen in October to discuss working with the city’s government in areas such as books, reading, innovation, environmental protection, urban planning and development.

    Saturday’s concert has drawn wide attention among international media. Many international media outlets covered the concert and discussed the important meanings of promoting Chinese culture.

    “The concert was a big success and the orchestra had to perform the coda again after giving several encores,” reported Nouovelles D’Europe, a Europe-based Chinese newspaper.

    News site 6paris.com wrote that the symphony promotes new humanism along with cultural diversity and exchanges, similar to concepts promoted by UNESCO. The symphony is “an ode to the Chinese dream and an expression of peace,” the site wrote.