The music tour titled “The Lyrical Mikis Theodorakis – 100 Years Since His Birth” concluded with great success in the Chinese metropolises of Shanghai (July 27), Beijing (July 30), and Nanchang (August 2).
The concerts were organized by the Sino-Hellenic Performing Arts Alliance in collaboration with Music Path Productions.
The Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) participated as the Gold Sponsor, while the performances were held under the auspices and financial support of the Ministry of Culture and the support of the Embassy of Greece in Beijing.
The Greek delegation, which traveled to China with the sponsorship of Juneyao Airlines, included a group of prominent musicians, vocalists Tania Tsanaklidou and Maria Papageorgiou, as well as members of fan clubs of the artists.
Greece: A Destination of Cultural Quality
During the events, the GNTO office in China distributed promotional print materials to the audience, while GNTO banners and videos were displayed in the venues to reinforce Greece’s image as an authentic and high-quality cultural and tourist destination.
Over 2,000 people attended the three concerts in total, including diplomats, cultural representatives, and lovers of Greek music, who had the opportunity to experience the lyrical work of Greece’s iconic composer.
The Beijing concert took place at the National Museum of China, which is also hosting a special exhibition by the National Archaeological Museum of Greece titled “The Diversity of Beauty.” This exhibition promotes Greek culture in the Chinese capital and offers a multi-layered experience of cultural exchange.
The music tour received broad coverage from leading Chinese media (Xinhua, China News, Phoenix News, among others), while its digital reach through social media platforms (such as Xiaohongshu) was particularly impressive, with hundreds of positive comments and posts highlighting the emotional connection between the Chinese audience and Greece.
Strengthening Tourism Cooperation Between Greece and Jiangxi Province
Furthermore, on the sidelines of the Nanchang concert, the head of the GNTO China Office, Pavlos Mourmas, and the Secretary-General of the Sino-Hellenic Alliance, Haotian Zhu, met with Li Yuqiang, Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of Jiangxi Province’s regional government, and his team. The meeting focused on prospects for further cultural and tourism cooperation between the two sides, and on promoting tourism flows from Jiangxi Province to Greece and vice versa.
Following the meeting, Mr. Mourmas stated to local television and radio that,
“Cultural events are the best means of communication between peoples. Through art, and especially through music, we can deepen mutual understanding and bring our societies closer together, as music transcends language barriers and touches the soul directly, regardless of cultural or national background.”
It is worth noting that in the upcoming November, a group of 60 artists from Nanchang will visit Athens to perform during the opening of the 3rd Sino-Hellenic International Theatre Festival. They will present “Tiangong Kaiwu,” one of the most important and influential dance-theatre performances in contemporary China.
