BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA) May Festival concert was held at the Temple of Agriculture along the central axis of Beijing on Tuesday, marking the first time the festival was presented on the city's iconic trunk road.
The concert featured Zhu Yibing, a celebrated Chinese cellist, and his ensemble, which played classic pieces including "Air on the G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach, "Libertango" by Astor Piazzolla, and "You and Me," theme song of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
According to an official with the NCPA, the concert was held to instill vitality into the ancient buildings with music, and to promote the protection of the central axis.
The concert was part of the NCPA May Festival's public welfare performances, which saw artists from home and abroad perform in places such as Xiongan New Area, public welfare organizations and local communities.
As the longest and most intact axis of an ancient city in the world, the central axis of Beijing clusters the best of the architecture and bears witness to the history of the city. Authorities are making efforts to get it onto the UNESCO world cultural heritage list.
