On August 9^th, the NCPA symphonic chorus commission Harvest China, which had taken great efforts to produce, had its world premiere at the NCPA Concert Hall. In its magnificent symphonic language and soulful choral artistry, this masterwork, themed “Agriculture, Rural Areas, and Farmers”, offers the audience a soul-stirring audiovisual feast, celebrating the farming civilisation in praise of Chinese “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers”.


The concert presented music composed by MENG Weidong, a famous composer who specialises in studying how to promote the development of “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers”. Under the leadership of LÜ Jia, Music and Artistic Director of the NCPA, the concert was performed by the China NCPA Chorus, China NCPA Chorus, Beijing Philharmonic Choir, China Philharmonic Orchestra and young director LI Jianbo in cooperation with many outstanding Chinese stage artists, guest reciter TANG Guoqiang and some renowned vocalists.

As solemn symphonic music played slowly, the mixed chorus Farming and Weaving Pictures resounded through the dome of the Concert Hall, with a remote ancient scene, where people were busy farming and weaving, unfolding little and little on the large screen. There were golden waves of wheat in the front of the stage and bundles of wheat straw stacked neatly in the rear. As the sun rose over the golden paddy fields, causing a change in the lights, the audience was instantly taken into an atmosphere of ancient agricultural civilisation.

The concert consisted of four parts - “Root, Soul, Rhyme and Dream”, held in multiple forms of music including symphonic music, mixed chorus, children’s chorus and storytelling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment. A symphonic language was created on the basis of orchestral music, with Chinese musical instruments, including the pipa and the flute, used amongst others to provide a panoramic picture of the time-honoured Chinese farming civilisation and a magnificent view of rural revitalisation taking place in the new era.

TANG Guoqiang made his surprise appearance and recited poetry in his mighty voice. After him, a group of renowned vocalists appeared on the stage and performed with great passion. Soprano HUANG Huali gave a perfect rendition of Livelihood of Chinese People - the lyrics go, “A bowl of food means everything to the people. A bowl of food can help to maintain world peace”. She gave a passionate performance, sounding so pleasant. Tenor MA Xiaoming sang in his clear voice, expressing the farmers’ joy at their bountiful harvest. Then MA Min and CAI Jun, lead vocalists of the China NCPA Chorus, ZHANG Yang, a baritone from the NCPA, LI Xiang, an inheritor of storytelling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment, an intangible cultural heritage, soprano GONG Shuang, tenor WANG Chong and soprano XU Jingjing sang high praise for the “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” with their consummate singing skills and rich emotions.

Harvest China presents a complete narrative from remote history to the future, including farming civilisation, priority on agriculture, harvest day and rural revitalisation. The Chinese farming civilisation was showcased in an artistic way at this concert. In particular, the lyrics feature special melodies such as “To the Tune of Qing Ping Yue” and “To the Tune of Qin Yuan Chun”. Neat, rhymed and catchy, these tunes have made Harvest China a symphonic chorus with both musical and literary merits.

Part 1, “The Root·Farming Civilisation”, recalls the farming and weaving scenes that existed in ancient China. In Pioneering in the Land of China, the soprano and tenor sing in antiphonal style to simulate a dialogue between the Yellow River and the Yangtse River, two major river basins where the Chinese farming civilisation originated. Yu the Great Tames the Floods tells a story in music, illustrating the significant influence of irrigation works on the farming civilisation. The lyrics go, “The common people live and work in peace in a prosperous country” “There are vast expanses of fertile land across the country, while all granaries are full of grain”... These concise, lively words aptly depict a remote ancient picture in which the Chinese ancestors were reclaiming the land.

Part 2, “The Soul·Priority on Agriculture”, depicts a historical period during which the Chinese farmers worked hard to develop agriculture under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. The first verse, “land contracting in Xiaogang Village”, echoes the formulation of the household contract responsibility system. The second verse, “tax exemption and administration streamlining”, gives prominence to agricultural tax concession, which is a historical feat. The third verse, “Party secretaries at five levels go deep into the rural areas in person for targeted poverty alleviation”, indicates that the whole nation is cheered up by the victory in poverty alleviation. As the “highlight” of the concert, Livelihood of Chinese People was performed affectionately, with its moving melody and lyrics sensitising the audience to the fact that “the Chinese bowl should be filled with Chinese food”, thus eliciting thunderous applause.

Part 3, “Rhyme·Harvest Day”, begins with a poetry recitation to celebrate a bountiful harvest that takes place in a prosperous era. It also eulogises the great feat of founding a festival for the farmers. This is followed by Sun-Drying in Autumn, a song sung in antiphonal style, with the worldly joy of harvest shared in the national rhythm. Then in Praise for the Farmers, the tenor sings loudly with deep emotion, “You have come through all hardships and adversities”, paying tribute to the farmers sweating for the development of this great nation.

Part 4, “Dream·Rural Revitalisation”, starts with a melodious rendition of old clocks and square tables. This is followed by a rousing rendition of why green hills are invaluable assets, depicting the changes that have been taking place in rural China over the past 20 years. The delightful children’s chorus, I’d Draw a Picture of My Hometown, sounds like a beautiful picture of the countryside unfolding slowly in melodious and clear voices, with the musical notes taking root in the land and also pointing to the future. Now China is striding forward on the road to an agricultural powerhouse. The verse, “science and technology lead to a green future of smart agriculture”, demonstrates that the Chinese people are confident of doing well in rural revitalisation.

The Chinese civilisation, originating in agriculture, has a long history and will exist forever. The concert ended with Farming and Weaving Pictures, echoing the overture, revealing a spatiotemporal bond among “tradition, modernity, and future”. As the concert was rounded off with high-pitched voices, the audience burst into thunderous applause. After the performance, the audience expressed their deep feeling for the concert in interviews.

Among the audience were more than ten farmer representatives from Beijing. LIU Xueping, representative of organic vegetable farming managers, said excitedly that when she saw an old farmer on the screen, her memory was instantly taken back to her childhood - she was just working in the fields with Grandpa. It was then that Grandpa planted the seed of agriculture in her heart. So the concert touched her soul. YAO Meili, a member of the Party Branch Committee of Gujiang Village, Liucun Town, Changping District, said that she felt the concert was particularly good, sounding as magnificent as what should be part of a great nation. As the lyrics go, “A bowl of food means everything to the people”, which touched her so much that she said people should cherish food rather than waste it. PAN Yuhan, the first secretary of Genglou Village, Xiji Town, Tongzhou District, said with emotion that the NCPA Harvest China depicts a particularly grand epic about the Chinese farmers, as well as the history of their struggle under the leadership of the Party. When working in the village, she could feel the cultural root and wisdom that had existed in the farmers for thousands of years. When watching the concert, she was touched much more deeply.

Let’s pay tribute to the root of the Chinese civilisation and cheer for rural revitalisation in the new era. For the NCPA symphonic chorus commission Harvest China, its successful premiere will help to promote the development of Chinese agriculture, rural areas and farmers, quicken the process of rural revitalisation, boost agricultural modernisation and bring in rural prosperity.