Culture Tourism
Concert for foreign dignitaries in Chengdu
By Huang Zhiling and Wang Wei (China Daily Sichuan Bureau)
Updated: 2010-02-03 13:44
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CHENGDU: With the theme of "Chinese Home and Chinese New Year", the Tianfu Community Chinese New Year Concert 2010 was held in this capital of Sichuan Province on Monday evening.
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 Sa Dingding performers during the Tianfu Community Chinese New Year Concert 2010 held in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan Province on Monday evening, Feburary 1, 2010. [Photo/Le Ran] |
Some 180 representatives from consulate generals in Chengdu and Chongqing Municipality and foreign firms attended the concert.
The concert, which started with the traditional Chinese lion dance, had its climax with the presence of Sa Dingding, a Chinese woman known for her mysterious singing in Sanskrit.
Sa, 26, received the prestigious BBC World Music Award in April 2008.
Sponsored by the Administrative Committee of the Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone and the Foreign Office of the Chengdu Municipal Government and undertaken by the Chengdu High-Technology Investment Group, the event was aimed at promoting international exchanges and showing gratitude towards foreign friends contributing to Chengdu, said Han Chunlin, assistant to the mayor of Chengdu.
He is also chief of the Administrative Committee of the Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone.
A total of 863 foreign firms have landed in his zone with an investment of nearly US$9.2 billion. 44 are Fortune 500 and world-famous firms.
As Chengdu has a resident foreign population of nearly 20,000 from about 130 countries and regions, there is an increasing need to build a high-end community for people from overseas, Han said.
Zheng Xiaoming, chief of the planning and construction bureau of the Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone, announced last Wednesday that an international community called Tianfu Community covering 250,000 sq m will be built in the zone.
Tianfu, which means "heavenly land," is another name for Sichuan.
Located in the zone in southern Chengdu, the community will consist of apartments and villas for up to 5,000 foreigners, with the first of two phases expected to be completed by October.
A church, bilingual kindergartens, hospitals and playgrounds will be built, and English-speaking locals will be available to serve the residents, Zheng said.
"To ensure the community is truly international, no residence will be sold to locals. Instead, they will be rented out exclusively to people from overseas," Zheng said.
