Culture

Curtain going up on new musical district

By Mu Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-05 08:36

A new area in Tongzhou could provide the soundtrack for Beijing in the years to come and help it hit the right note in its bid to become a world city, according to Wang Yunfeng, the district's Party chief.

The area, which will be called "New Music City", will be built during the next five years and include a tourism and entertainment area, performance venues and space for music-related workshops.

"The creative industry is Tongzhou's choice as it transfers its forms of economic development elsewhere," said Wang. "The creative industry will be the key industry as the district tries to develop.

"The project will greatly enrich the content of Tongzhou's creative industry and its tourism."

According to the blueprint for the New Music City project, music from around the world will not be limited to displays but be part of an interactive experience.

The performance area will provide music venues of various sizes to make up for a lack of venues in eastern Beijing.

"We will construct both high-quality small- and medium-sized venues and large-scale outdoor venues with capacities of more than 30,000 people in New Music City," said Leng Xuefeng, director of the board at Long Legacy International Communications, an investor in the project.

"Music festivals have been flourishing in Beijing in recent years but many of them have not had a stable venue. I believe the venues in the New Music City will better serve the needs of live music shows in Beijing and satisfy music fans."

In addition to live shows and facilities for tourists, New Music City will provide opportunities for various commercial sectors of the music industry, including companies involved in production and distribution. The area will focus especially on digital music so it accommodates the future of the industry.

New Music City has invited lyricist Yan Su, vocalist Wang Kun and songwriter Peter Kam to be its artistic consultants.

Located in the eastern part of Beijing, Tongzhou has a long cultural history and many famous sites, including the starting point of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Water Transport Terminal and the Buddha Sarira Pagoda. Songzhuang, China's largest community of contemporary artists, is also located in Tongzhou.

The Tongzhou district government hopes the area will develop into the capital's major art district.