The Confucius Classroom at the University of Plovdiv which is associated to the Confucius Institute in Sofia has conducted a Lecture named The Charm of The Chinese Folk Songs

On April 1st 2024, a lecture named The Charm of The Chinese Folk Songs has been held at the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Arts. The event has been hosted by the Confucius Classroom at the University of Plovdiv which is part of the Confucius classrooms network associated to the Confucius Institute in Sofia. The lecture has been co-organised by the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Arts.
The keynote speaker has been Mr Zhou Xiangfei - a young teacher at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in China and a doctoral student at the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Arts. Miss Zhou Yi - a Confucius Classroom student at the University of Plovdiv, has been his interpreter. Prof. Tony Shekerdzhieva-Novak - the rector of the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Arts, Prof. Nadia Cherneva – the director of the Russian Language Centre at the Language Department of the University of Plovdiv, together with as many as 50 students and teachers, have attended the lecture. The lecture has been moderated by Mrs Elitsa Milanova - a Chinese teacher at the Confucius Classroom.
Prof. Tony Shekerdzieva-Novak said that it is for the first time that the university has ever organised any lectures on the subject of Chinese music. She has expressed her hope that in the future an intensive cooperation with the Confucius Classroom at the University of Plovdiv could follow up. In her speech, Prof. Nadia Cherneva has expressed her gratitude to the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Arts for their support to the Confucius Classroom. She has also shared that she has been looking forward to strengthening the cooperation between the two universities so that they both could achieve shared academic resources.
Mr Zhou Xiangfei introduced in detail the origin, the development and the characteristics of the Chinese folk songs and performed five folk songs from different regions with different styles: The Ussuri Boat Song, The Small River, Love in the Three Gorges, Oh, Swallow Bird and The Brocade Harp. Miss Cui Jinhui - a Chinese student at the Plovdiv Academy of Music, Dance and Arts, has accompanied the performance on the piano. The students have commented that it was the first time they have experienced the beauty of the Chinese folk music live and that this has enriched their knowledge of Chinese culture.
This lecture has been the second one from a series of activities by the Confucius Classroom at the University of Plovdiv in this year's month of lectures. The lecture has adopted the form of A Lecture Plus A Performance to provide an immersive experience in the Chinese folk music for the audience and it has been welcomed by the local teachers and students.
Confucius Institute in Sofia
Text: Wang Ying
Photos: Wang Ying
Editors: Chen Ying, Aksinia Koleva, Chen Chen
English translation: Maya Kostadinova

Picture 1. The poster for the lecture.
Picture 2. Prof. Tony Shekerdzieva-Novak - the rector of the Plovdiv Academy of Music and Dance Art, delivering her speech.
Picture 3. Prof.Nadia Cherneva – the director of the Russian Language Centre of the Language Department of the University of Plovdiv, delivering her speech.
Picture 4: Mr Zhou Xiangfei performing Chinese folk songs.
Picture 5: A group photo at the venue.