CAIRO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) — An online concert was held on Thursday by Chinese and Egyptian artists to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Egypt, as well as the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Dubbed “The Symphony of Friendship,” the joint concert held by Egypt’s Cairo Symphony Orchestra and China’s Liaoning Symphony Orchestra was live-streamed on various social media platforms of the China Cultural Center in Cairo.

“Musicians from both countries played friendship-themed pieces to express harmony between the two old civilizations and cement cultural ties via music,” said Mohamed Moneer, media spokesman of the Opera House in Cairo.

The concert started with the Chinese orchestra playing “My Country,” then Egyptian pianist Naghamaya Safawt performed the “Jasmine Flower,” a popular Chinese folk song.

“We are delighted to continue constant cooperation with our Chinese friends,” Moneer told Xinhua, adding that all 10 programs at the one-hour concert symbolized harmony and love between the two peoples.

In addition to traditional Chinese songs, there was also the theme song of the popular Egyptian movie “Black Honey,” and world-renowned songs such as “Auld Lang Syne.”

Moneer emphasized that music and art remained the bridge where people can walk side by side even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sandra Zakaria, the champion of 2019 Chinese Songs in Egypt, sang in Chinese the song “May we all be blessed with longevity,” the lyrics of which were written by Su Shi dating back to nearly 1,000 years ago in the Song dynasty.

“The chosen pieces were fantastic, and the Chinese song sang by an Egyptian girl is amazing, expressing no matter how far we live from each other, we can share happiness and sadness with each other,” said Walaa Hamdy, a 19-year-old university student.

“I always enjoy the Chinese concerts or shows with my families and we are lucky that these lovely programs are now available online, so I can repeat them many times,” Hamdy said.

The concert also played videos about Chinese companies’ contribution to building new projects in Egypt, along with the China-Egypt technological, cultural, education and anti-COVID-19 cooperation.