The home of Chinese music and traditional arts
China Arts specialises in traditional and contemporary Chinese music and arts such as calligraphy, ink painting, tea ceremony and dance, including the popular lion dance. We run a number of major cultural events each year, welcome new and collaborative projects, and work closely with clients in the arts, education, corporate and film/TV sectors. We will always endeavour to meet the needs of our clients so feel free to contact us to discuss your event or project.
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The second London International Chinese Music Festival, which lasted for a week, concluded on 27 July at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. This festival provided an opportunity for Chinese music enthusiasts in the UK and Europe to engage and learn.
Building on the success of the inaugural festival in 2023, this year’s event expanded to include five concerts in Birmingham, Cambridge, and London, a five-day national music summer school, masterclasses, ensemble sessions, salons, workshops, dual-certified examinations and competitions, as well as supplementary courses in calligraphy and painting.
The 2024 London International Chinese Music Festival was organised by Dr. Cheng Yu, a pipa and guqin performer based in the UK, and hosted by Chinese Arts UK, the London Youlan Qin Society, and UKCM(UK Chinese Music), with the support of the School of Oriental and African Studies and the CHINA NATIONALITIES ORCHESTRA SOCIETY. The festival received funding from the UK Arts Council.
https://www.oushinet.com/static/content/qj/qjnews/2024-08-09/1271504932529277082.html
The Sound of Nature
A concert held on Friday 26th July at the Holy Sepulchre in London’s Holborn, as part of the international Chinese music festival.
In this Blog I’m privileged to be able to bring you a report on the Gala Concert presented by the UK Chinese Music organisation on the evening of Friday 26th July at the Holy Sepulchre in London’s Holborn. In Chinese there is an expression 沁人心脾 qìnrénxīnpí, which in English we can translate as stirring the heart and the soul. Each performer throughout the concert really flowed through her or his instrument to express the profoundest emotions and transcend any narrow ideas of ‘west’ or ‘east’. For me the music evoked a natural world, a world without borders where people and ideas flow together, organically harmonising to grow new expressions and experiences and rebalance connections to nature. The concert was a musical Silk Road.
https://sacu.org/the-sound-of-nature/
Lutes of the Silk Road Concert
A concert held in SOAS Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre on Thursday 25 July 2024, as part of the international Chinese music festival, hosted by the School of Arts. For music lovers, the Lutes of the Silk Road concert gilding London’s week-long International Chinese Music Festival, was a gala of virtuosity and technical wizardry.
Showcasing the multifaceted cosmopolitan talent of the SOAS music department, headed up by “Pipa” maestro Dr Cheng Yu, the accomplished band of lute players traced the sounds of ancient trade routes through China, into Central Asia, Iran, Syria and Turkey, each echoing the unique sounds of their homelands. Dr Cheng Yu, founder member and president of Europe’s first Youlan Qin Society, playing the Chinese “Pipa”, a 4-stringed lute, opened with an astounding display of skill and sensitivity accompanied by Elizabeth Nott’s haunting Middle Eastern drum and Shohret Nur’s Uyghur Rawap.
This summer, the 2024 Second London International Chinese Music Festival expanded to include five concerts in Birmingham, Cambridge, and London, as well as a national music summer school, masterclasses and ensemble sessions, salons and workshops, dual-certified examinations and competitions.
According to reports, the festival was organised by the renowned UK-based pipa and guqin performer Dr Cheng Yu and hosted by Chinese Arts UK, the London Youlan Qin Society, and the UKCM, with support from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and the CHINA NATIONALITIES ORCHESTRA SOCIETY.
The festival received backing from the UK Arts Council. Dr Cheng Yu highlighted one of the festival’s key features: the premiere of the original concert, “Lutes on the Silk Road.” Musicians performed seven types of lutes from the Silk Road, including the Chinese pipa, Kazakh dombra, Turkish balaman, Iranian tar, and Syrian oud, recreating the music of the ancient Silk Road. Chris Goodwin, President of the British Lute Society, stated that the lute is the soul instrument of Silk Road cultural exchange, and “Lutes on the Silk Road” has become a conduit for China’s connections with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Western cultures.
https://m.chinanews.com/wap/detail/chs/zw/10263211.shtml
On Friday 26 September 2025, the Confucius Institute at the University of Luxembourg collaborated with the Trifolion to host a spectacular Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Echternach!
We were honoured to welcome six outstanding musicians from the UK Chinese Music Ensemble, a renowned group dedicated to sharing the beauty and depth of traditional Chinese music with audiences across Europe. Their performance, “Sound of Silk and Bamboo”, transported us through centuries of musical heritage, blending ancient melodies with masterful artistry. 🎶 👏 Bravo to all the performers for their breathtaking talent!