Headlined by Chinese singers, musicians and bands, including Faye Wong, Li Ronghao and Lang Lang, an online music event, titled “Believe in the Future,” was livestreamed on Tencent on May 4 and 5. The event, initiated by celebrity Gao Xiaosong, featured over 130 Chinese music acts. It aimed at paying tribute and showing support to people fighting against COVID-19, from the doctors and nurses on the frontlines to the delivery workers. Besides live music performances, the special online event also included ordinary people from all walks of life who went through the coronavirus pandemic during the past four months. TV hosts Bai Yansong, Wang Han and Hu Qiaohua, known as Hua Shao, presented the show. Since Gao announced the news of the online event on April 20 on his social media platform, Sina Weibo, which has over 45 million followers, it has received warm feedback from the fans. “Music provides us with joy and the power of healing, especially during difficult times like this,” commented a fan on Sina Weibo after Gao released the news. “Now we return to work and try to have our lives back to normal. This is hard but we are not alone,” wrote another fan. Online music streaming services, NetEase Cloud Music and Xiami, along with Tencent Music Entertainment Group and online ticketing platform Damai, were the organizers of the event. The 50-year-old Gao is recognized for introducing “campus folk music style” to Chinese music lovers in the 1990s by writing popular hits. In 1996, he, along with Song Ke, a guru in Chinese music circles, launched a record company, Taihe Rye Music. Besides music, Gao also has a talk show and publishes books.(China Daily) | 