国内英语新闻:Guqin concert held to mark China-Sweden 60th anniversary

STOCKHOLM, May 9 (Xinhua) -- To mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Sweden, a Guqin concert was held in Stockholm on Sunday evening.

The concert presented 12 different pieces, half of them about Guqin, some of them are the Xiao, a beautiful flute. Some of them they played together. All the music are about 2000 years old. One of the most beautiful ones is called Liushui, Flowing Water, that piece is on a golden disk in a voyage in an American Spaceship went away in 1977 out in the outer space.

Famous sinologist Cecilia Lindqvist planned the concert with the support of Sweden's National Music Association, Chinese Embassy in Sweden and Sweden's Union of Chinese Associations.

"It's a very important day because 60 years ago exactly on this date, May 9, Sweden and China established diplomatic relations, and actually Sweden was the first country in the west to do so. So we are very proud and we have long been in contact with China after that," said Lindqvist.

"Since then cultural contacts have developed tremendously, and this concert we are giving tonight is a kind of celebration of this very important day, so we hope lot of people will come here and listen to this music because 60 years is a long period. So we want to present Guqin to the Chinese community here and to all the Swedes who are interested in the Chinese Culture," she added.