Top 10 Cultural Events from 2020

The year 2020 has been a tough one in which we suffered from the coronavirus epidemic and faced enormous challenges in many aspects of life. In spite of this, we still made many achievements in the cultural field. Let's review and carry on our journey bravely in the coming new year.

　　Artists stage a Kunqu Opera performance in front of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining Gong) on May 18, 2016. [Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

1. The Forbidden City celebrates 600th anniversary

The Forbidden City, known today as the Palace Museum, is celebrating the 600th anniversary of the completion of the compound's construction this year.

The Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing, a 720,000-square-meter palace complex made of wood and earthen bricks, is the largest surviving specimen of its kind in the world.

This compound served as the imperial palace from 1420 to 1911, where 24 emperors once lived. It stands as a testimony to past glory that informs contemporary people about Chinese civilization's advanced thought and practices across six centuries.

Eighteen landmark years during the six centuries of history have been chosen to highlight the exhibits in chronological order to show how the compound was born, grew and matured.

2. Taijiquan and Wangchuan ceremony granted UNESCO status

Taijiquan and the Wangchuan ceremony were added to UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list during the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was held virtually in December.

Taijiquan, also known as tai chi, is a traditional physical practice characterized by relaxed, circular movements that works in harmony with breath regulation and the cultivation of a righteous and neutral mind.

The Wangchuan ceremony, or Ong Chun, was jointly put forward for UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status by China and Malaysia. The ceremony and related practices are rooted in folk customs of worshipping Ong Yah, a deity believed to protect people and their lands from disasters.

3. Horse head sculpture returns to Old Summer Palace

A bronze horse head sculpture, a treasure of China's Old Summer Palace that went missing after Anglo-French allied forces' looting 160 years ago, returned to its original palace home in December.

It is the first time that a lost important cultural relic from the Old Summer Palace, or Yuanmingyuan, was returned to and housed at its original location after being repatriated from overseas.

The horse head, designed by Italian artist Giuseppe Castiglione and crafted by royal craftsmen, is an artistic blend of East and West.

Macao billionaire Stanley Ho bought the bronze horse head and decided to donate it to the National Cultural Heritage Administration and return it to its original home.

4. China's oldest sculpture artwork chosen as one of world's top 10 discoveries

The US magazine Archaeology has chosen a 13,500-year-old miniature bird sculpture unearthed at an archaeological site in Central China's Henan province as one of the Top 10 Discoveries of 2020.

In June, an international team of archaeologists unveiled their study on the sculpture, suggesting it is the oldest known work of Chinese sculpture art.

The discovery sets back not only the origin of sculpture in East Asia by more than 8,500 years but also the history of the art form of birds found in China by 8,000 years.

The bird statue, which is 19.2 mm long, 5.1 mm wide and 12.5 mm high, is dark brown on one side and bronze on the other.

5. Ming Dynasty long scroll marks highest auction price

The Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) painter Wu Bin's long scroll Ten Views of a Fantastic Rock was sold for 512.9 million yuan ($76.6 million) at the 15th Anniversary Celebration of Beijing Poly Auction on Oct 18, marking the highest auction price for ancient Chinese artworks, and also the world's most expensive Chinese artwork this year.

The work, about 28 meters in length, was painted by Wu Bin over one of his friend Mi Wanzhong's Lingbi stones. Lingbi stone is a kind of ornamental rock with rare textures and shapes found in the county of Lingbi in East China's Anhui province.

Wu portrayed the rock from 10 different vantage points, and Mi wrote introductions for each of the views. The painting was created in the early 17th century and Mi's literary friends named it "Feifei Rock", indicating there are abundant possibilities to interpret the rock's special shape.

6. Domestic suspense dramas win audiences' heart

Many TV dramas produced in recent years were often mocked by netizens for their absurd plots, weak storylines, and poor performances by unskilled cast members who cared more about their looks than acting.

However, The Bad Kids has won the love of audiences. Netizens claimed that they "haven't seen such a good web drama made in China for ages". It was rated 8.9 points out of 10 on Douban, a platform with many critical and sharp-tongued users.

Viewers have warmed to the performances of the lead players and supporting cast as well as the music, settings and lighting.

In addition to The Bad Kids, other domestic suspense dramas also have attracted widespread public attention this year due to their high standards.

7. TV show on female celebrities aged over 30 sparks heated debate online

Produced by Mango TV, a streaming site backed by Hunan Satellite TV, the reality show Older Sisters Riding Winds and Breaking Waves (Chengfeng Polang de Jiejie) has made huge waves across China's social platforms.

The show teams up 30 seasoned, established female singers, actors and hosts all born before 1990, with 52-year-old Taiwan singer Annie Yi as the oldest contestant.

The contestants demonstrated their dancing and singing abilities with solo and group performances, competing for five places in a performance group.

8. Museums go on the cloud

This year, due to the coronavirus outbreak, many museums launched online tours that attracted many viewers.

On March 1,the Potala Palace, a landmark building in China's Tibet autonomous region, held a livestreaming tour for the first time in its over 1,300-year history. The tour received about 920,000 views, more than half of the total visits the palace receives a year.

On International Museum Day, museums in Beijing launched 94 events, including 50 "cloud exhibitions" and 15 livestreaming broadcasts covering seminars and "cloud tours".

Museums also have adopted popular tools and high-tech to enrich cloud-based event experiences.

9. Musicians mark Beethoven's 250th birthday

This year marks the 250th birthday of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, whose best gift to the world was his magnificent music.

To mark the anniversary, over 180 Chinese musicians performed in a 12-hour music concert, titled Beethoven Marathon, at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing from 10 am to 10 pm on Dec 12.

Musicians from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei symphony orchestras, as well as the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong String Orchestra, also played to commemorate the event.

10. Anti-epidemic themes in cultural works offer encouragement

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus this year brought suffering to the world. However, when medical workers were fighting to save people's lives in the hospitals, cultural workers were making efforts to record memorable moments and encourage people to go forward.

Paintings and sculptures were created to mark medical workers' endeavors, music was played to console emotions, and documentaries, films and TV shows were shot to record memories. Even children were using their painting brushes to express appreciation to people who contributed to the fight. Cultural works are playing their roles in bringing courage to all.