28 May 2018
From 20 to 23 May 2018, sponsored by the Philippine Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Philippine Ministry of Environment and Agriculture, the Philippine Ministry of Culture and Education and the Office of the Mayor of Manila and organized by the UNESCO Centre of Artists for Peace and the Philippine Centre of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), the "International Peace Movement: Not by Force But by Art" was held in Manila, The Philippines.
The event coincided with the UNESCO International Arts Education Week and was an important part of the said arts education week. Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO, delivered the message of congratulations on the event. President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines gave a welcome speech to all the visiting delegations and participants.
Shanghai Theater Academy (STA) was invited to participate in a series of activities of the event. On 21 May, Ms Li Peihong, Dean of the STA College of Chinese Traditional Opera delivered a keynote speech "Peace and Beauty – Arts is the Common Language of Mankind” at the Leaders Forum hosted by the Philippine Parliament and the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In line with the “Belt and Road” initiative of President Xi Jinping, Chinese artists should actively promote the quintessence of Chinese culture in the “Belt and Road" countries to build a community of shared future for mankind using the power of art and peace.
At the Philippine Senate, the participants to the event were invited to witness the inauguration ceremony of the new President of the Philippines Senate during which artists from different countries had friendly exchanges with the senators.
On 22 May, at the Emilio Aguinaldo College, the teachers and students from STA cooperated with artists from others countries on the same stage to make the statement of “Not by Force But by Art" through their performances. At the beginning of the performance, representatives of artists from different countries made the declaration of advocacy for peace. Ms Li Peihong, speaking on behalf of STA, proposed that "peace and development are the common themes of mankind." Then, Ms Li Peihong and Mr Li Jun, the specially invited famous Peking Opera artist, performed a number of Peking Opera selections, and other Chinese artists gave Peking Opera fiddle and zither performances. Their performances won warm applause of the audience.
In recent years, the STA College of Chinese Traditional Opera has been invited by ITI and the Confucius Institutes in different countries set up by the National Han Ban to create new projects and promote Chinese traditional culture. By actively adapting to the form of international cultural exchange, the STA College of Chinese Traditional Opera has gradually become a new “Shanghai cultural brand” of STA’s “culture-education integration” for its effectiveness in “going global”, “telling China stories” and “promoting Chinese culture”.
