Traditions abound

Around the time music lovers were tuning into the US Super Bowl halftime show, where hip-hop stars took center stage, another gala was being broadcast on this side of the world.

On Feb 15, an annual TV show by China Central Television was staged to celebrate Lantern Festival, a traditional event in China, where families get together and have sweet glutinous rice balls.

The opening performance by a group of top musicians from the China National Traditional Orchestra became the highlight of the show, showcasing the dazzling sounds produced by old musical instruments.

Titled Qi Tian Yue, the star-studded opening, though just three minutes long, had 10 Chinese musicians playing the roles of 10 famous people from Chinese history, with images from folk tales in the background, while playing 10 traditional musical instruments, such as pipa (four-stringed lute), erhu (two-stringed fiddle), suona (woodwind instrument), Chinese drums and sheng (reeded wind instrument).