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Yangzhou kicked off its fourth guzheng (zither) invitational competition on Aug 12, attracting over 500 teenagers and 40 judges from across the country.
In the four years it has been held, the event has become nationally renowned in terms of its scale and the number of competitors.
"The invitational competition provides an excellent platform for children to show their skills," said Ding Dandan from Yichun, Jiangxi province, a zither teacher who helped her student take the children's top honor last year and led a team of 15 young competitors this time.
For fairness, the contestants were divided into six age specific groups. An additional category this year was set up for professionals, which mainly included students and teachers from music schools and zither players from art troupes.
"We set up the professional group to seek talented musicians and elevate the competition's national fame," said Xiong Liqun, chairman of the Yangzhou Guzheng Association.
The number of competition rooms increased to 11 this year, aiming to shorten the competitors' waiting time. Eleven zither manufacturers provided sponsorship to the event, providing contestants with top-tier instruments to play with.
"Yangzhou is the home of zither. I hope the event can bring more zither enthusiasts to Yangzhou to take a look at the local zither industry and find out how the musical instrument is produced," Xiong said.
The event invited applicants from all over China, with 500 of those who passed the provincial-level preliminary contests going on to the Yangzhou final.
A child shows her skills at the fourth guzheng (zither) invitational competition in Yangzhou. The three-day event kicked off on Aug 12 and attracted over 500 youngsters from all over the country. [Photo/yznews.com]
A zither ensemble is performed during the fourth guzheng (zither) invitational competition in Yangzhou on Aug 12. [Photo/yznews.com]
