A performance featuring fusion of opera and Chinese poetry has demonstrated the enduring power of art to transcend cultural barriers and connect with audiences across time and space.
The poetry, titled The Lantern Festival Night - to the tune of Green Jade Table, is a rare romantic work by Song Dynasty (AD 420-479) poet Xin Qiji. It depicts a search for a lost love amidst the vibrant atmosphere of the Lantern Festival.
The performance opens with a recitation by children, setting the stage for a powerful rendition by vocalists from the China National Opera And Dance Drama Theater.
The song is part of the international cultural exchange TV program "Harmony in Diversity", co-produced by China Media Group (CMG) and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The latest program was aired on the group's CCTV-1 channel on Feb 15.
Ancient Chinese poetry finds new voice through opera
The death toll from the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 87, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Saturday, warning that the outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no strain-specific vaccine is currently available, and that it carries a high risk of regional spread.
A total of 336 cases, including both suspected and confirmed infections, and 87 deaths have been reported in the latest outbreak in Ituri Province in eastern DRC -- the country's 17th Ebola outbreak since 1976, said Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa CDC, during an online press briefing.
The outbreak has raised regional alarm after Uganda reported an imported Bundibugyo case from the DRC, while Africa CDC warned that cross-border movement, mining-related mobility, and weak surveillance could hamper containment.
Uganda confirmed an imported case involving a 59-year-old Congolese man who died in Kampala on Thursday and tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain.
Africa CDC rated the latest Ebola outbreak at Grade 3, with the risk assessed as very high in the DRC, high for eastern Africa, and moderate for the continent. It cited a four-week detection delay, active community transmission in a peri-urban mining hub, weak contact tracing, infection-control gaps, and multiple health-care worker deaths.
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and can cause symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, generalized pain or malaise, and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola fatality rates vary, depending on the viral subtype.
DR Congo Ebola death toll hits 87 as outbreak strain lacks vaccine, poses high risk: Africa CDC
