As an orchestra played traditional Chinese instruments made from delicate porcelain, including pipa, erhu and xiao, crystalline notes flowed down from the stage.
The performance was part of a culture and tourism promotional event for Jingdezhen, China's porcelain capital, which was held in London's Kensington on Tuesday.
Li Liyan, minister counselor for cultural affairs of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said during the event that Jingdezhen is not only a symbol of Chinese culture, but also a bridge connecting civilizations between China and other countries.
Located in east China's Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen has a history of ceramic craftsmanship that spans over 2,000 years. In ancient times, it exported ceramics to Central Asia, West Asia, Europe, and Africa via the Silk Road.
In recent years, the city has grown even more popular as a tourist destination. Artists from around the world have also moved to the city, establishing studios and organizing pottery activities.
At Tuesday's event, two contracts were signed between organizations from the UK and the porcelain capital, including a deal between the London-based Chopsticks Club and a travel agency from Jingdezhen.
During the event, porcelain products from Jingdezhen, including banquet dinnerware sets, ceramic lamps, porcelain combs and bracelets, were also exhibited.
China's porcelain capital showcases porcelain culture in London
President of the United States Joe Biden has extended for another year the Trading with the Enemy Act, a 1917 regulation under which the blockade of Cuba was imposed, Cuban media reported on Wednesday.
The continuation of the exercise of these authorities with respect to Cuba for one year, until September 14, 2025, is in the national interest of the United States, Biden said in the brief memorandum sent to the Treasury Department, published in the Federal Register.
The Trading with the Enemy Act, enacted under the administration of Woodrow Wilson who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921 during the period of World War I (1914 to 1918), empowers the government in power in Washington to restrict commercial activities with any nation that they consider an adversary.
Based on this legislation, on February 7, 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 3447, which officially began an economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba that has survived 11 White House administrations.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Thursday that the blockade constitutes a massive, flagrant and systematic violation of the human rights of the Cuban people and the main obstacle to the country's development.
At current prices, the accumulated damages of the economic, commercial and financial blockade and trade embargo over the past six decades have amounted to the astronomical figure of 164.141 billion U.S. dollars, according to Rodriguez.
Since 1992, the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favor of the resolution presented by Cuba to lift the blockade. Last year, the draft resolution was approved by 187 countries and opposed only by the United States and Israel, with Ukraine abstaining.
US extends blockade of Cuba for another year
