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Rich sounds of modern music to lure fans

HANGZHOU is now becoming one of the most important live concert venues in China, especially known for outdoor music festivals. The 3rd West Lake Modern Music Festival will kick off on October 31 as part of the 11th Hangzhou West Lake International Expo.

During two days of live shows, 16 bands and singers both international and domestic will perform at four stages on 10,000 square meters of garden known as Orioles Singing in the Willows (Liu Lang Wen Ying).

Performers will include the bands Maximilian from Germany, Lions of Puxi from Shanghai, Carsick Cars, Muma & Third Party; American singer Sugar Mama; Taiwanese singer-songwriter Fan Xiaoxuan, Zhang Xuan; and Chinese pop singers Zheng Jun and Wang Xiaokun,

After its debut in 2007, the festival was hailed as one of the most beautiful outdoor music festivals in China, especially because it showcases original music. The first festival featured Chinese folk music and the second featured lyrical music.

Three major modern music events are staged in China during October - Beijing's Modern Music Festival at the beginning of the month, Shanghai JZ Festival in the middle and finally the West Lake Modern Music Festival in Hangzhou.

"These events give the strongest encouragement to the Chinese independent popular music industry," says Lu Zhongqiang, general manager of 13-Month Culture Company.

His record company is presenting singers Wan Xiaoli, Xie Tianxiao and Shan Ren band during the festival.

For indie record companies such as 13-Month Culture and Pilot Records in Beijing, live music festivals of this kind definitely help rescue the record market from its current crisis.

"Traditional methods of distributing music now face many problems. Live concerts are the best way to allow the music to contact its audience directly," says the director of Pilot Records, surnamed Zhong.

"Only live shows can achieve direct communication with audiences with their realism and emotional sounds," says Li Guangping, music producer.

Orioles Singing in the Willows is one of "10 Scenes of West Lake," and the garden used to belong to emperors and nobles in ancient times.

After more than 40 years' development and reconstruction, it has now become a garden for the public. It also regularly stages flower festivals and entertainment. The garden's delights include green weeping willows and singing orioles.

Along the 1,000 meters of lake foreshore and along the garden paths can be found many species of willow trees.

An exhibition of orioles stands at the center of the garden with a huge birdcage beside it.

To the east of the bird house stands a Friendship Area where imported Japanese sakura cherry blossom trees have been planted.

The old ancestral temple has been renovated as a garden house in the Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River) style. The pavilion, artificial hills, bridge and stream, flowers and grass form a fantastic world in the courtyard.

"Combined with the venue of Orioles Singing in the Willows, the music festival will bring the most beautiful music and also the most enjoyable sightseeing to the audience," says Zhang Zheng, the festival's music director.

The venue can contain around 8,000 audience members.



Date: October 31-November 1

Tickets: Two-day package costs 200 yuan; One-day 150 yuan

Tel: (0571) 8800-3888




 

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