Tan Dun WE-Festival to Showcase All-Female Percussion Ensembles in Hong Kong Concerts This June

2025-05-09 14:45 Last Updated At：14:58

Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi and Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble to perform in "Tan Dun WE-Festival" in June

The "Tan Dun WE-Festival", presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), will feature two performances of "Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi & Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble" concert in June as part of the pre-festival events of this year's Chinese Culture Festival (CCF). Under the artistic direction and baton of Tan Dun, Hong Kong's Ambassador for Cultural Promotion (ACP) and internationally renowned composer and conductor, two all-female percussion ensembles will take the Hong Kong stage to present both the "Daliuzi", a traditional percussion music of western Hunan's Tujia ethnic group, and contemporary percussion music. The concert will also feature the world premiere of two tea-inspired compositions written by Tan, showcasing how percussion music transcends time and bonds the East and the West, while telling the good story of China's intangible cultural heritage in the new era. The programme is also one of the performing arts programmes of the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Month 2025.

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Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi and Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble to perform in "Tan Dun WE-Festival" in June Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi and Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble to perform in "Tan Dun WE-Festival" in June Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Tujia "Daliuzi", primarily featuring gongs and cymbals, is a kind of ensemble of traditional folk musical instruments of ethnic Tujia people from western Hunan. It was inscribed onto the first national list of intangible cultural heritage in 2006. Enlightened by an impressionable field trip in western Hunan, Tan blends the "Daliuzi" with tea-making techniques such as leaf-whistling, tea-picking and grinding to create a new composition "TEA-liuzi · Mystical Xiangxi", and has invited the Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi to come to Hong Kong for the world premiere of this work. The ensemble will also perform several folk pieces, which include "The Hen Lays Eggs", "Pheasant Leaving the Mountain", "Pigeons Taking a Bath" and "Ducks Flirting with Water", demonstrating the exceptional skills and expressive character of the unique musical artistry of the Tujia people.

The newly established Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble, spearheaded by Tan, will make its debut at this concert. The ensemble comprises four outstanding local young female percussionists, namely Karen Yu, Elise Liu, Eugene Kwong and Emma Ng. They will perform another world premiere of "Tea Music: Water, Wind, Ceramic" by Tan, as well as "Credo in Us" by contemporary avant-garde, experimental composer John Cage. Tan has also composed a new "Concerto for Piano and Four Percussionists" for this ensemble that will perform alongside pianist Liu Muyu, showcasing the varying rhythms and rich sonorities of percussion music.

Tan is an internationally renowned Chinese composer, musician and conductor, and was appointed by the UNESCO as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2013. He has made an indelible mark on the world's music scene, which earned him many prestigious honours, including the Grammy Awards, the Academy Awards and the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale. Tan has led some of the world's most esteemed orchestras, and composed more than 100 musical works over the years. His famous works include the film scores of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Hero" as well as the award ceremony music for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He has been awarded the title of Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture in December 2024, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to global culture and the arts. Tan has been appointed as Hong Kong's first ACP by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau since January 1, 2023.

Chinese Culture Festival 2025: "Tan Dun WE-Festival": "Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi & Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble" concert will be staged at 8pm on June 4 and 5 (Wednesday and Thursday) at the Studio Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $380 and $480 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Group booking discount and package booking discount are available for purchasing selected CCF stage programmes, the "Chinese Opera Film Shows" of the COF 2025 and the "Legacy and Vision: Conversations with Chinese Cultural Masters" lecture. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.ccf.gov.hk/en/programme/daliuzi-and-percussion-ensemble.

The above-mentioned programme also offers a pre-concert symposium (in Putonghua), entitled"A Dialogue between Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi & Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble", to be held at 7pm on June 5 at the Studio Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, during which Tan will engage in a discussion with members of the Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi and the Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble. Interested audience members can attend the pre-concert symposium by presenting the tickets of "Xiangxi Tujia Women's Daliuzi & Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble" concert. Admission is free. Limited seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

First held in 2023, the "Tan Dun WE-Festival" features musicians, dancers and ensembles from the Mainland, Hong Kong and around the world that reveals fresh new approaches to music, dance and visual arts, turning the city into an international stage for cultural and arts exchanges. The Festival also attracts people from both East and West to gather in the city, showcasing the essence of Hong Kong's East-meets-West cultural DNA. The Festival returns this year with the theme of tea culture. Apart from the above-mentioned programme, it also includes Tan Dun | "Tea: A Mirror of Soul" on May 30 and 31, and "Lost Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Manuscripts: 'The Vanishing Mogao Caves'" on June 7.

The CCF, presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Chinese Culture Promotion Office under the LCSD, aims to promote Chinese culture and enhance the public's national identity and cultural confidence. It also aims to attract top-notch artists and arts groups from both the Mainland and other parts of the world for exchanges in Chinese arts and culture. The CCF 2025 will be held from June to September. Through different performing arts programmes in various forms and related extension activities, including selected programmes of the Chinese Opera Festival, "Tan Dun WE-Festival", film screenings, exhibitions, as well as community and school activities and more, the festival provides members of the public and visitors with more opportunities to enjoy distinctive programmes that showcase fine traditional Chinese culture, thereby facilitating patriotic education and contributing to the inheritance, transformation and development of traditional Chinese culture in Hong Kong. For more information about programmes and activities of the CCF 2025, please visitwww.ccf.gov.hk.

Nestlé Hong Kong Recalls Additional Infant Formula Over Bacillus Cereus Contamination Concerns

CFS to follow up certain batches of powdered infant and young children formula with possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (January 10) said that, it took initiative to meet with Nestlé Hong Kong again today, and confirmed the company's today announcement of an additional batch of powdered infant and young children formula suspected to have possibly used the raw material concerned. Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall. The CFS has collected samples of powdered infant and young children formula from the market for Bacillus cereus testing, the test results so far were satisfactory. The Environmental and Ecology Bureau is also closely monitoring the supply situation of other formula milk powder and maintaining communication with other major suppliers. It is noted that there is sufficient formula milk powder to meet the demand.

The spokesman said, the CFS has been actively following up on Nestlé company's voluntary and precautionary recalls of certain batches of its powdered infant and young children formula in certain areas in Europe due to possible presence of Cereulide produced by Bacillus cereus in the individual raw material. According to the latest information from Nestlé Hong Kong today, an additional batch of its powdered infant and young children formula imported into Hong Kong might have used the raw material concerned. The CFS had earlier enhanced surveillance in the market and collected a sample from the above batch for testing of Bacillus cereus. The test result of the sample was satisfactory. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, Nestlé Hong Kong has voluntarily stopped sales, removed from shelves the affected products and has initiated a precautionary recall.

Product details are as follows:

Product name (Net weight): NAN PRO 1 2 HMO (800g)

Batch number: 51670742F2

Best-before date: June 16, 2027

Place of Origin: Germany

"The CFS met Nestlé Hong Kong again today, urging them to properly handle the product recall issue and respond to public enquiries, in order to safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests. In addition, the CFS and Nestlé Hong Kong have jointly followed up, six suspected affected batches of infant and young children formula products that had not entered the market were marked and sealed. An additional 15 batches are currently en route to Hong Kong and will also be marked and sealed upon arrival. The CFS will continue to closely monitor the recall matters and remain fully committed to ensuring food safety, " the spokesman said.

Nestlé Hong Kong has initiated a recall of the affected batches of the products concerned. For enquiries about the recall, members of the public may contact the company through the following channels:

Consumer services hotline: 2599 8874 / 2797 6031/ 2179 8136 (Monday to Sunday, 9am to 9pm)

Email: consumerservices@hk.nestle.com

WhatsApp: 5283 4139 (NESTLÉ® NAN®) / 2599 8871 (Wyeth® Nutrition)

Online form: forms.office.com/e/BhqMhWfsUG?origin=lprLink

Consumers may choose to bring along the products (brand new or opened) for refund at place of purchase, or at exclusive service counters of Nestlé Nutrition Services from January 13 (Tuesday) onwards, to settle the recall and refund of the batches of the products concerned. Details of the exclusive service counters are as follows:

Kowloon Services Counter

Address: G/F, Park Hovan Commercial Building, 18 Hillwood Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon (MTR Jordon Station Exit D)

Contact number: 3996 8196

Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm; Sunday, 1pm to 5.30pm (except public holidays)

Hong Kong Services Counter

Address: 1/F, Ka Nin Wah Commercial Building, 423-425 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong (MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B)

Contact number: 3996 8197

Office hour: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 7.30pm (except Sundays and public holidays)

The CFS, through its Food Incident Surveillance System, noted earlier that certain batches of Nestlé powdered infant formula were being voluntarily recalled in Europe due to possible contamination with Bacillus cereus. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS has immediately initiated follow up actions, published food incident posts to inform the public and the trade about the issue, and has been actively following up on the incident and enhanced surveillance.

Over the past three days (as of 4pm on January 9), the FEHD received a total of 18 food complaints and enquiries suspected to be related to the infant and young children formula products, including one anonymous complaint without contact information. The CFS and the Environmental Hygiene Branch have promptly followed up on all cases, including contacting the parties concerned to obtain details and collecting samples for testing. In addition, the CFS has referred the cases to the health department for follow-up. At present, no food poisoning cases related to the formula have been recorded.

Bacillus cereus is commonly found in the environment. Unhygienic conditions in food processing and storage may give rise to its growth. Cereulide is a heat-stable toxin produced in food by some strains of Bacillus cereus. Consuming food contaminated with excessive Bacillus cereus or its heat-stable toxins may cause gastrointestinal upset such as vomiting and diarrhoea.

The spokesman urged members of the public not to let infants and young children consume the affected batches of the products, and to seek medical treatment for infants or young children who felt unwell after taking the products concerned. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batches of the products immediately.

"The CFS continues to closely monitor the developments of the situation, follow up and take appropriate action," the spokesman said.

Tan Dun WE-Festival to Showcase All-Female Percussion Ensembles in Hong Kong Concerts This June

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