The Silk Road Arts and Culture Center in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, offers a better understanding of the cultural and artistic heritage of this ancient city, which has served as the capital of 13 different dynasties throughout its 3,100 years history.
Located in the east of Xi'an and on the banks of the Bahe River, the center is the largest cultural and artistic complex in western China, with an area of 143,900 square meters across its five main buildings -- an opera house, a concert hall, a function hall, a cinema and a media center.
The center is shaped to resemble the "Xun", a traditional Chinese musical instrument which was unearthed at the Banpo archaeological site.
"The five main buildings correspond to the notes of the traditional Chinese pentatonic scale -- Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu. When viewed from above, the structure resembles dancing musical notes, hence its name 'Chang'an Yue,'" said Liang Jiangxuezi, who works at the Xi'an MixC commercial complex.
The center hosts a wide range of performances, including operas, musicals, plays, dance dramas, symphony concerts and chamber music.
During its heyday in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Xi'an, then known as Chang'an, attracted an influx of foreign merchants, envoys and students from different countries, becoming the starting point of the Silk Road.
The city is also home to the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors created in the Qin Dynasty (221-207 BC).
Today, a series of international events further demonstrate the city's global influence as a cultural hub.
The city hosted the Global South Media Partnership Mechanism Inauguration Meeting and the 13th Global Video Media Forum (VMF) on Thursday, which was supported by China Global Television Network (CGTN) , a part of China Media Group (CMG), and organized by the CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+), the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Xi'an Municipal Committee and the CMG Shaanxi Bureau.
Themed "Building Consensus for Shared Benefits: Media's Role in Global Governance", the event serves as a key platform for media exchanges among Global South nations.
Xi'an arts center gives deep insight into city’s ancient history
