The Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army hosted a grand concert by the Ensemble, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.

One of the key factors in ensuring global stability in the modern world is the Russian-Chinese relations. The people of China are celebrating a double holiday these days – the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China.

As part of the solemn events dedicated to these events, on July 5, 2021, a gala evening-concert was held at the Central Academic Theatre of the Russian Army with the participation of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, led by the artistic director and chief conductor of the ensemble, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev.

Among those present were members of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Chinese Embassy in Russia, members of the diplomatic corps, and representatives of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society.

Before the start of the festive concert, the head of the Communist Party Faction in the State Duma, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. He stressed the crucial role of the Chinese Communist Party in shaping a modern, highly developed state that has a huge political influence on the development of world civilization.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation Zhang Hanhui noted that "The celebration of the centenary of the Communist Party of China, the largest political party in the world, is the most important event of 2021 in the political life of the People's Republic of China. On the eve of the anniversary, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, called on Chinese Communists to "boldly move forward with the goal of building a modernized state and realizing the Chinese dream of the great rebirth of the Chinese nation, which is timed to coincide with the centenary of the People's Republic of China."

The concert of the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation was particularly solemn. The anthems of the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation performed at the beginning of the concert gave the event an official status.

The concert program featured well-known and beloved songs from the Great Patriotic War: "The Holy War" (by A. Alexandrov and V. Lebedev-Kumach), "The Artillerymen's March" (by T. Khrennikov and V. Gusev), "The Frontline Driver's Song" (by B. Mokrousov and B. Laskin), and a suite of soldiers' songs: "Song about the Russian Soldier" (K. Akimov, K. Filippova), "Vasya Kryuchkin" (V. Solovyov-Sedoy, V. Gusev), "Vasya-Vasilyok" (A. Novikov, S. Alymov), "Song about the Soviet Army" (A. Alexandrov, O. Kolychev).

The audience warmly received both Russian folk songs and popular works by Soviet and Russian composers performed by the renowned ensemble.

The ensemble's dance group presented the choreographic composition "Home with Victory" (directed by Honored Artist of Russia A. Safronov, musical arrangement by A. Zarkov, soloist - Honored Artist of the Republic of Ingushetia Alexey Rayushkin). The audience warmly received the dance performances: the original dance "Zolotaya Khokhloma" (directed by the Honored Artist of Russia P. Kovalev), the vocal and choreographic composition "Kalinka" (directed by the People's Artist of Russia A. Radyuk, with musical arrangement by the Honored Artist of Russia A. Mazanov), and others.

A sea of smiles and a barrage of applause in the auditorium was caused by the cheerful song "I'll Take You to the Tundra" by the composer Mark Fradkin on the verses of Mikhail Plyatskovsky, performed by the ensemble's soloists, Honored Workers of Culture of the Republic of Buryatia Ruslan Samozhapov and Narpol Tsedenov.

The most successful songs among the Chinese audience were, of course, the songs performed by the ensemble's soloists in Chinese, such as "Oh, Yangtze" (soloist: Honored Artist of Russia Alexey Volzhanin), "China - the Sun Doesn't Set" (soloist: Grigory Yakovlev), "Good Men" (soloist: Evgeny Filyanov), and the song "Without the Communist Party, There Would Be No China" performed by the choir and orchestra.

The Chinese audience was left with an unforgettable impression of the Chinese folk song "The Song of the Sea" performed by the Honored Artist of Russia Natalia Eliseeva. The singer's excellent vocal abilities and her soulful singing style leave no one indifferent.

The concert was concluded with a bright chord of the legendary "Katyusha" (M. Blanter, M. Isakovsky) performed by the choir, orchestra and soloists of the Academic Ensemble of Song and Dance of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation under the direction of the artistic director and chief conductor of the ensemble, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Russian Federation, Zhang Hanhui, expressed his gratitude to the ensemble's artists. He emphasized the significant role of cultural cooperation between Russia and China in expanding and strengthening humanitarian exchanges between our countries. "The renowned Russian vocal and choreographic ensemble is well-known in the People's Republic of China. We are always delighted to host the ensemble's artists on Chinese soil," the Ambassador emphasized.

"The ensemble's team highly appreciates the genuine interest and love of the Chinese public for the great Russian musical culture," said the ensemble's Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, People's Artist of Russia, Major General Viktor Eliseev, in his response. He noted that the ensemble has been regularly visiting China with extensive tours for over two decades. One of the most notable events in recent years was the highly successful performances of the ensemble in China in the fall of 2019, as part of the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. The Russian artists were applauded by audiences in 27 cities across the country, including the capital, Beijing, as well as cities such as Fulin, Guotai, Guiyang, Qingdao, Foshan, Shunde, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Haikou, and many others.

The grand concert of the Academic Ensemble of Songs and Dances of the National Guard Troops of the Russian Federation, held on July 5, 2021, was another vivid demonstration of the deep respect that Russians have for the Chinese people and their willingness to continue fostering friendly relations between the two great powers.