The “Melodies Link Mountains and Seas, Friends Gather in the Coastal City” — 2026 Qingdao International Friends Gala and Yehudi Menuhin Concert was recently staged at the Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao. International guests from nine countries including India, Iran, Australia, Germany, the ROK, Italy, the United States, Singapore and Greece attended, among them recipients of the Shandong Honorary Citizen, Qilu Friendship Award, Qingdao Honorary Citizen and Qingdao Qindao Award.
Hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the CPC Qingdao Municipal Committee and undertaken by Yehudi Menuhin School Qingdao, the performance featured teachers and students from the Qingdao campus and its British counterpart. Before the concert, foreign visitors toured the campus cultural centre to learn about its international education and music exchange programmes. The programme comprised nine chamber and ensemble pieces spanning classical works to 20th-century repertoire, performed alternately by students from both schools. The evening closed with a joint rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
Using music as a universal language, the event builds a bridge for people-to-people exchanges, embodying Qingdao’s vision of “mountains and seas linked, friendship shared”. It showcases the city’s openness and inclusiveness, unites the international community based in Qingdao, and gives fresh impetus to the city’s cultural diplomacy and international engagement.
Editor: Song Bohong/ Wang Yulin
