The EU-China Youth Music & Art Festival 2019 opened on Saturday night in Zandhoven, a small town in north Belgium. Nearly 100 young people and folk artists from Belgium and China gathered for musical performances.

Artists playing musical instruments such as piano, saxophone, flute and guzheng shared a stage to hold the New Silk Road concert, which attracted people from Europe and China.

Belgian composer Han Flintrop wrote the music piece The New Silk Road especially for the concert.

The performance by 25 teenagers from the Art Star artistic troupe in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, together with teachers and students of the Municipal Academy of Music, Word and Dance of Lier (SAMWD Lier), brought the concert to a climax.

New Silk Road is divided into eight chapters. Each one uses different music elements along the Silk Road to tell stories of Chinese and European civilizations learning from each other.

Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming said in his opening address that the Belt and Road Initiative has closely connected China with Belgium.

The art festival provided an opportunity for European audiences to learn more about  traditional Chinese culture, such as overseas Chinese living in Belgium presenting calligraphy works and Chinese tea ceremonies.

Ying Hong, one of the Chinese organizers living in Belgium, said: "Music has crossed the mountains and waters, and language barriers. I believe that the EU-China Youth Music & Art Festival will further promote relations between China and Europe."