CHONGQING, China, Sept. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On the evening of September 18, 2025, Wanzhou, located on the banks of China’s longest river — the Yangtze River, was ablaze with brilliant lights as the 2025 Concert of World Great Rivers kicked off grandly at the downtown square.
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As a concurrent event of the 2025 Yangtze River Civilization Forum, this year’s concert, themed “Hearing the Rivers · Timeless Voices,” brought together musicians from many countries around the world, well-known domestic artists and local literary and art professionals from Chongqing. Through an immersive stage design and international artistic expressions, it presented the audience with an audio-visual feast that transcends national borders and integrates the ancient and the modern.
The stage design of the concert was ingenious. It made full use of Wanzhou’s unique riverside landscape, extending the performance space to the surface of the Yangtze River. With the Yangtze Gold Cruise Ship as a mobile stage, combined with innovative forms such as multimedia light and shadow technology and torch performances on the river, a magical space that integrates natural landscapes with technological art was created.
When the symphony played a magnificent movement, the cruise ship carrying international artists slowly docked at the shore, symbolizing the official opening of the exchange prelude of the evening party, creating a poetic and picturesque atmosphere.
For the performance, there were not only new interpretations of classic songs about world great rivers such as “The Song of the Yangtze River,” “My Home Is by the Yangtze River,” and “We’re the World,” but also popular songs including “The Great Chinese People,” “The People Are the Country,” and “Auld Lang Syne.”
Famous domestic artists such as Li Danyang and Wang Kai performed on the same stage with exotic voices from countries like Kazakhstan and Serbia. Through the dialogue of diverse musical languages, they demonstrated the profound connotation of the community with a shared future for mankind.
The grand chorus of ten thousand people pushed the on-site atmosphere to a climax. Chinese and foreign audiences conveyed their emotions through singing and united their consensus with music.
Since its founding in 2018, the Concert of World Great Rivers has been successfully held for eight sessions. This year, it was included in the concurrent events of the Yangtze River Civilization Forum for the first time. It is not only a key activity of the online mass cultural brand of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, but also an important measure for Chongqing to build the Yangtze River National Cultural Park. Currently, the event has developed into a high-quality cultural and tourism brand with international influence, and an important window to showcase the world’s river cultures and the humanistic charm of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River.
During this year’s concert, Wanzhou also launched a cultural week (September 16-22) to showcase the city’s changes. A series of characteristic activities are carried out in a region-wide linkage, including the western region competition of the national village song contest, the Yangtze River Basin folk art creation and research exchange activity, the riverside concert, and the grilled fish consumption season.
Preferential policies such as a minimum 40% discount on hotel accommodations, catering services and scenic spot tickets were offered to provide tourists with a one-stop high-quality experience covering food, accommodation, travel, shopping and entertainment. This allows citizens and tourists to appreciate the unique charm of Wanzhou while enjoying the art.
The Concert of World Great Rivers is not only a shining landmark event for the integration of culture and tourism in Wanzhou, but also a cultural link connecting China with the world. Looking forward, Wanzhou will continue to take the concert as a medium, use the power of culture to promote international cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, enabling the world to hear the powerful sound of the surging great rivers and witness the contemporary development of the Three Gorges.
Source: The 2025 Concert of World Great Rivers
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