On the evening of February 10, 2025, with the joint support of the China National Tourist Office London and the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK, the “UK-China Charity Initiative: Building Harmony Together” series of events—the City of London Chinese New Year Concert—was successfully held at the historic official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. The event was co-hosted by the China Chamber of Commerce in the UK and the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
Over 200 guests from the political and business sides of China and the UK attended the concert, including Wang Qi, Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK; former Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir Charles Bowman; David Buckley, Chairman of the Board of the Yehudi Menuhin School; John McLean, Chairman of the UK-China Business Development Centre; renowned Chinese violinist Lyu Siqing; and British violinist Tasmin Little CBE.
Minister Wang Qi extended New Year greetings to all the guests. He noted that despite the complex and volatile global economic situation and heightened geopolitical tensions over the past year, the Chinese economy has demonstrated strong resilience, continuing to provide stability and growth momentum for the world economy. As major global economies, China and the UK have maintained close cooperation across various fields. Recent positive developments in bilateral relations should be further advanced to implement high-level consensus and deepen cooperation in areas such as new energy, artificial intelligence, technology, trade, and education.
He emphasised that the Chinese New Year not only carries the profound heritage of Chinese culture but has also become an important bond for cultural exchange between China and the UK. The Chinese New Year Concert is a vivid embodiment of this cultural interaction. He expressed confidence that continued deepening of cultural exchanges will further strengthen the friendship between the peoples of the two countries. He wished for greater progress in China-UK relations in the new year and enduring friendship between the two peoples.
Sir Charles Bowman, former Lord Mayor of the City of London
Sir Charles Bowman, former Lord Mayor of the City of London, stated that the China-UK relationship has had a positive start this year. Last month, the two countries successfully resumed the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue (EFD) after a six-year hiatus, laying a solid foundation for deeper cooperation. He particularly emphasised the crucial role of cultural exchanges and charitable causes in promoting mutual understanding and social progress. Charity not only carries social responsibility but also serves as a bridge connecting different cultures and driving common development. This concert, through the bond of charity, brings together forces from all sectors of society to jointly promote education, social welfare, and sustainable development. He called on all sectors to collaborate and support charitable causes with concrete actions, contributing to building a more inclusive, diverse, and prosperous society and promoting the sustained and healthy development of China-UK relations.
The Yehudi Menuhin School was founded in 1963 in the UK by the Russian Jewish American violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin. Menuhin travelled extensively throughout his life and dedicated his later years to music education, making the school a cradle for talented musicians. The school’s mission is to provide a conducive musical environment for talented musicians from around the world, regardless of their economic background, helping them to unlock their musical potential, pursue their musical dreams, and achieve the highest standards of performance.
Menuhin had a deep affection for China. A German edition of “Laozi” that accompanied him for over 50 years attests to his admiration for Chinese culture. He visited China multiple times, and his artistic and moral demeanour left a lasting impression on Chinese musicians. In the 1980s and 1990s, Menuhin made significant selfless contributions to the development of violin music in China. During his lectures in Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities, he discovered many talented young violinists and brought them to the Yehudi Menuhin School in Europe for further training. These students later became some of the earliest Chinese musicians to perform on international stages and participate in world competitions.
Since its establishment in 2022, the Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao Branch has achieved outstanding results in music education, cultivating talents with a global perspective. Through teacher and student exchanges, it has established close and fruitful cooperation with the UK campus.
Renowned Chinese violinist and founding principal of the Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao Branch, Lyu Siqing, spoke highly of the deepening cooperation between the UK campus and the Qingdao Branch in his speech. As an alumnus of the UK campus, he expressed great honour in leading the school’s first overseas branch. This visit marks the first trip to the UK since the establishment of the Qingdao Branch. He highly commended the students’ efforts and stated that the concert not only highlights the cooperation between the two schools but also marks an important milestone in China-UK cultural exchange. He expressed gratitude to all those who supported the project and looked forward to further deepening cooperation between the two schools to advance international music education.
British violinist Tasmin Little CBE, in her opening remarks, stated that the concert was not only a musical feast but also a demonstration of the power of music to transcend borders and connect cultures, vividly embodying the spirit of creativity and global cooperation advocated by Yehudi Menuhin. She extended sincere thanks to all the guests and looked forward to continuing to promote international cultural exchange through music in the future.
During the evening, students from the Yehudi Menuhin School in the UK and the Qingdao Branch performed a selection of Chinese and Western classical pieces, including Mendelssohn’s “D Minor Second Concerto, Op. 114,” Ma Sicong’s “Nostalgia,” and Mozart’s “String Quartet in B-flat Major, K. 589,” offering the audience a musical feast that blended Chinese and Western cultures.
After the concert’s program concluded, renowned violinist Lyu Siqing made a surprise appearance, passionately performing Paganini’s “A Major Fifth Sonata.” Known for its passionate and technically demanding melodies, Lyu Siqing’s profound mastery and exquisite skill brought out the fervour and tenderness, power and delicacy of the piece. His fluid and passionate performance deeply moved the audience, eliciting thunderous applause and bringing the concert to its climax.
As a cultural bridge, the concert not only showcased the beauty of the fusion of Chinese and Western musical arts but also promoted cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the UK.
China National Tourist Office London actively promotes the integration of culture and tourism—shaping tourism through culture, highlighting culture through tourism, and fostering their mutual growth. Hosting diverse cultural events in UK, Ireland, Finland, Norway, and Iceland is one of the key approaches we employ to promote inbound tourism. We are committed to supporting and facilitating China-UK cultural exchanges and cooperation, using art as a bridge that transcends borders and languages to foster mutual learning and people-to-people connections between nations. As the saying goes, “Strong nation-to-nation relationships stem from deep people-to-people connections, and true connections are built upon shared understanding.”
The concert also received sponsorship support from institutions such as Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China London Branch, China Construction Bank London Branch, Agricultural Bank of China, China Merchants Bank, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and Labait Accounting
