A concert celebrating the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) was held in New York on Friday night, gathering envoys from various countries to convey the spirit of cooperation and multilateralism.
Themed "Better Together - In Celebration of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly," the concert took place at the iconic Carnegie Hall.
Annalena Baerbock, president of the 80th session of the UNGA, spoke on stage at event, underscoring that face of global challenges, countries in the world need to demonstrate courage and patience to seek harmony in discord and truly put "Better Together" into action.
The concert was performed by the Boston Conservatory at Berklee Symphony Orchestra and the Columbia University Teachers College Choir, along with young artists from around the world.
The young musicians presented several classic works at the event, hoping to highlight the important role of the United Nations in promoting mutual understanding and mutual learning between different cultures and civilizations.
"I can feel really proud saying I got invited by the United Nations, because the United Nations is in charge of the whole world. So it's really nice," said Zhang Runfeng, a 12-year-old pianist from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Concert celebrating UNGA 80th session held in New York
Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.
The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.
"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.
The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.
"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.
"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.
To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.
"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.
"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.
"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.
Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration
