Two Chinese calligraphers were displaying the art of writing Chinese characters on separate pieces of paper while a Chinese girl was playing a dulcimer, the traditional Chinese musical instrument, to paint a picture of flowers that are falling at night.

Four Chinese children, including two girls, were playing the Chinese music Toast Song on the same piano simultaneously. They were well coordinated and the music proceeded in good harmony.

These were the scenes of the Chinese music and dance performance on Friday night at the UN Headquarters in New York in observing the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.

The year 2010 is celebrated as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, which is aimed at making the rapprochement of cultures the hallmark of all policy-making at local, national, regional and international levels, involving the greatest number of relevant stakeholders.

China is a country with a rich cultural heritage. So far, a total of 29 cultural heritage categories have been included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of the the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Defined by UNESCO as "the practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills, that communities recognize as part of their cultural heritage," intangible cultural heritage is particularly susceptible to being lost.

"The items in performance here tonight are carefully selected from the programs in the Golden Hall of Vienna, Austria, for the past four consecutive years," Zhao Lifan, head of the Chinese performers, told Xinhua.

"We bring this performance here to promote the Chinese national cultures, protect and pass on Chinese intangible cultural heritage," Zhao said.

Audiences, including Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Li Baodong and Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, enjoyed the dances of children from the Chinese ethnic minorities, such as Dai, Miao and Tibetan ethnic groups, and the folk songs from Dangtu, Anhui Province in east China, which are listed in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

"When you close your eyes while you are listening to the four kids playing the piano, you may think the music was played by a professional adult," Zhai Yin, a Chinese UN staff member, said of her feeling about the four kids playing the same piano.

"I really like these lovely Chinese children," an African photographer told Xinhua, pointing to a group of Chinese children who were leaving the stage at the end of their performance. "Their dances are wonderful."

The performance was organized by the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations and the United Nations Chinese Book Club.

(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2010)