Mattie Scariot and Shanshan Whittal welcome you to China Day at PJIFF 2021!

China Day - Welcome from the PJIFF Director and China Day Chair

Mattie Scariot and Shanshan Whittal welcome you to China Day at PJIFF 2021!

China day - greetings from China and around the world

Americans who have visited China for work or pleasure tell their impressions and stories

China Day - China through American Travelers' Eyes

Americans who have visited China for work or pleasure tell their impressions and stories

Peking opera, or Beijing opera, is the most dominant form of Chinese opera which combines music, vocal performance, mime, dance and acrobatics. It arose in Beijing in the mid-Qing dynasty and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century. Opera Singer Getong McBride&nbsp;began studying Chinese Opera at the age of 6 and graduated from the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts, Beijing in 2010. She performed for President Obama during one of his visits to China.&nbsp;

China Day - Peking opera:  The Drunken Concubine

Chinese Opera Singer Getong McBride performs "The Drunken Concubine"

The piece,&nbsp;‘Springtime Moon Reflections in the River’, was originally expressed as an ancient poem that drew inspiration from a beautiful springtime evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;Passed from generation&nbsp;to generation via oral tradition, the original poem was set to music and was notated by the 1870s.&nbsp;&nbsp;Originally written for&nbsp;‘Pi&nbsp;Pa’, a traditional Chinese folk instrument similar to the lute, this piece has been heralded by scholars as being one of the&nbsp;best examples of classical Chinese folk music.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The harp version was arranged in the late 20th century and brings to the listener a beautiful rendition of a piece in pentatonic scale typical of Eastern music, but rarely performed on this Western instrument.Performer Jieyin Wu, frequent harpist for the acclaimed San Francisco Symphony, is internationally recognized as a soloist and ensemble player. Ms. Wu's vast&nbsp;ensemble work includes, among many others, the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. She has appeared in performances around the globe, including Shanghai, Beijing, Tel Aviv and the United States.

China Day - Solo Harp:  Springtime Moon Reflections in the River

An ancient poem set to music, performed by acclaimed San Francisco Symphony harpist Jieyin Wu

The&nbsp;cheongsam, also known as the&nbsp;qipao, is a type of body-hugging dress of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchu_people" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Manchu</a>&nbsp;origin. It is a high-necked, closefitting dress with the skirt slit partway up the side.It was known as the&nbsp;mandarin gown&nbsp;during the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_(1912%25E2%2580%25931949)" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1920s and 1930s</a>, when it was modernized by Chinese socialites and upper-class women in&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Shanghai</a>.Models - Sylvia Li, Annie Li, Sharon Chung from Qi Vogue.Qi&nbsp;Vogue was founded by Ms. Shen ZiSu, a Chinese American and a descendant of the Manchu people. The organization is dedicated to the cultivation, education and promotion of the cheongsam culture internationally. The San Francisco International Cheongsam Culture Month is a large-scale annual event that has been successfully held for five years. In April 2017, the former Mayor of San Francisco Ed Lee announced April 14th to be the "Chinese Cheongsam Day"&nbsp;of the city, which is the first officially recognized Chinese Cheongsam Day in the world. This marks a milestone of celebrating Cheongsam as well as the Chinese culture. The San Francisco Chapter of the Global Chinese Cheongsam Long Scroll is the first scroll overseas to have more than a thousand participants. Elite women from all over the Bay Area use their portraits to weave a great wall of silk. The participants range from 7 to 92 years old. The Qi Vogue dancing troupe is active on the main stage of the&nbsp;SF Cheongsam Culture Month and is open to invitation for charity events. team aims to use the expression of dancing and art to showcase the elegance and beauty of Cheongsam.

China Day - QiPao Fashion Show

Lovely current variations on a traditional Chinese dress style, the cheongsam, or qipao.

This dance, called Lotus, is a folkloric/Chinese dance that shares a story of joy and fluidity in music. It shows how music can drive movements and bring out a different beauty.&nbsp;Dancer - Jodie Cai is 14 years old and has competed at many regional and national competitions such as Rainbow Dance Competition, Showstopper Competition, Revolution Talent Competition (overall first place). She has also performed for different organizations including the Global Leadership Initiative.Jodie Cai started dancing 5 years ago at Yao Na Dance Studio in Northern California. At Yao Na Dance the teaching philosophy is love, patience and dependability. The teachers at&nbsp;&nbsp;Yao Na Dance Studio show patience for every dancer. They teach the dancers what it means to be patient for themselves. This practice teaches them hard work, dedication, discipline and perseverance. This life lesson will not only benefit them in dance but will help&nbsp;shape them in whatever career choice they may chose to pursue.&nbsp;As a family oriented dance studio, they strive to show encouragement and support to each individual student.&nbsp;

China Day - Classic Dance: Lotus

Jodie Cal performs a traditional Chinese dance, "Lotus"

The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project&nbsp;(CHCP) is based in Santa Clara County, California. It was founded in 1987 by the late Lillian Gong-Guy and Gerrye Wong as a non-profit organization to promote, educate, and preserve Chinese American and Chinese history and culture through community outreach activities. The leadership of the organization is comprised of volunteers. The museum it built, opened, and sponsored was gifted to the City of San Jose for its History San Jose park in 1991. Since then the museum has educated thousands of visitors in the rich history of Chinese American pioneers in Santa Clara County. It will welcome visitors again once the Pandemic is over.The models participating in the show:Nathan Louie, early 90s; the owner of the collection will be modeling the BLACK&nbsp;EMPERORS ROBE, a heavily gold embellished black robe which has Chinese dragons embroidered on it with gold thread.&nbsp;He was born in a Year of the Dragon.Gerrye Wong,&nbsp;80s;&nbsp;Chinese Historical and Cultural Project Museum&nbsp;Trustee, modeling ROYAL BLUE EMPRESS ROBE&nbsp;Allan Low, 70s;&nbsp;Chinese Historical and Cultural Project Museum&nbsp;Trustee, modeling BLACK WARRIOR ROBE&nbsp;Brenda Hee Wong,&nbsp;70s;&nbsp;Chinese Historical and Cultural Project Board of Directors member, modeling RED COURT MAIDEN ROBESharon Lai&nbsp;60s;&nbsp;Chinese Historical and Cultural Project Board Assistant Treasurer and Advisory Board Member, modeling TEAL BLUE COURTESAN ROBE

China Day - Opera Costume display

Beautiful, ornate opera costumes from the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project Museum

Zi De guqin&nbsp;Studio was established in 2014. It is a creative and versatile team of dozens of young artists in their 20s and 30s. From tradition to cross-industry innovation, from Kunqu opera to Han and Tang Dynasty dances, Guqin solo, folk music ensemble, electric guqin and&nbsp;electronic music, Zi De guqin Studio uses vivid makeup and costumes, and ancient instruments to perform contemporary music. The&nbsp;effect is a refreshing and shocking audio-visual enjoyment.Chang'an Fantasy tells a story that took place in the city of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty. People and demons with the same faces gathered in the magnificent Chang'an city. Day and night became the interface of two worlds. People could not distinguish various creatures. The performers dress in Tang Dynasty costumes and use flute, zheng, drums, qin and udu to play the scene of the gathering of everything in Chang'an. The bamboo flute is an ancient Chinese wind instrument of the Han ethnic group; the Zheng is an ancient Chinese traditional plucked instrument; the drum is a percussion instrument; the qin&nbsp;is one of the oldest plucked instruments in China; the udu was originally from Nigeria and was used to store or transport food.

China Day -  Music:  Chang'an Fantasy by Zi De guqin Studio

Vivid makeup and costumes; contemporary music on ancient instruments. Startlingly refreshing!

Diana Ding is&nbsp;the China Day Community Achievement Award recipient. Diana is&nbsp;a Silicon Valley media entrepreneur, business development &amp; operations leader. She is the founder and leader of the Silicon Valley Innovation Channel-Ding Ding TV, Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Festival, Silicon Valley Food &amp; Art Festival, and Silicon Valley Business Forum, and is a Co-producer of Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley. Diana has been recognized as an Asian American Hero by Santa Clara County. She is one of the key connectors between Silicon Valley and Asia in both culture and business. Active in several other business organizations, Diana was elected President of the US-China Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley in 2019.

China Day - Community Achievement Award - Diana Ding

PJIFF is awarding its 2021 China Day Community Achievement Award to Diana Ding

China Day - Cultural program closing

China Day - Cultural Presentations and Celebrations

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The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival celebrates emerging independent short and feature films, especially with diverse, inclusive, and women-empowering voices. We hold an annual festival in April and year-round education programs for our community just south of Silicon Valley, California.

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