Last month the city announced it will host two major musical events - the 24th Autumn in Chengdu International Music Season and the 2018 Music Culture Industry Expo - later this year.

The mega event, which will be staged from September 25 to November 9, is taking its cue from the Grammy Awards in the US to create a Chinese visual and audio feast, according to the event's organizing committee.

It will include 166 music shows and more than 100 outdoor activities in Chengdu's 22 districts and counties.

Artists will stage performances in streets and alleys, and there will be music competitions and other related activities watched by representatives from leading musical agents, organizers said.

A glittering music awards night, the Awards of Gold Hibiscus, will be held during the music season.

The awards fall into four categories - independent, choral, bel canto and ethnic music - and aims to expose audiences to leading international music and original musical works, as well as encourage the development of young and talented musicians.

The Music Culture Industry Expo will take place at the Western China International Expo City in Chengdu on September 14-16.

The three-day event will be staged on an exhibition area of 30,000 square meters. More than 400 Chinese and foreign companies — in the Internet music, music education, lighting and acoustic instruments and stage machinery industries - will showcase their latest products, technologies and achievements, organizers said.

The expo is designed to meet the needs of the cultural and tourism industries in southwestern China and countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, providing professional solutions and technical support.

In addition to the two key events, Chengdu now annually hosts over 1,000 major and smaller musical activities.

The City Music Hall is under construction as a new cultural landmark and will be completed by December. It will have about 1,600 seats in its opera hall and 1,400 seats in its concert hall.

Another ongoing project is the Chengdu Music Fun District, one of city's most significant music projects. The industrial park devoted to music and related industries covers a total area of 1.2 square kilometers and will prioritize five sectors - incubation of original music, production and sales of musical instruments, music education, performance services and management, and the promotion of music culture and copyright protection.

Chengdu is now home to over 400 important music-related companies and several studios of famous singers such as Li Yuchun and Zhang Liangying.

Last year, the city set up a special fund of 5 billion yuan ($751.62 million) for the music and related cultural industries. It is mainly used to support music projects, industrial parks, towns and independent musicians.

(source: www.chinadaily.com.cn, July 27, 2018)