The Chinese New Year of the Pig was celebrated in grand style in South Korea, with the 2019 Korea-China Friendship Concert staged on Jan 12 at the Sejong Grand Theater in the country's capital city of Seoul.

The Spring Festival atmosphere was elevated via traditional music, folk dances and classic songs by artists and performers from South Korea and China's Shandong province, attracting more than 3,000 audiences from all walks of life.

Qiu Guohong, Chinese ambassador to South Korea, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. He said that being close neighbors, China and South Korea started massive cultural exchange and communication a long time ago.

Qiu said that the two countries complement and benefit each other through win-win cooperation and the two sides are becoming one community with common interests and responsibilities leading to a shared future.

The Chinese embassy in South Korea and the Seoul Chinese Cultural Center invited talented singers and performers from Shandong province to present the charm and beauty of Chinese and Korean culture with their counterparts in South Korea in the first large-scale cultural exchange event of 2019 jointly held by the two countries, said Qiu.

Qiu also expressed his hope for the concert to serve as an opportunity for China and South Korea to deepen the bilateral exchanges and cooperation and raise the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level.

Officials from China and South Korea pose for a group photo before the 2019 Korea-China Friendship Concert on Jan 12 at the Sejong Grand Theater in Seoul. [Photo/WeChat account: Seoul Chinese Cultural Center]

Musicians from Shandong province perform folk music during the 2019 Korea-China Friendship Concert on Jan 12 in Seoul, capital of South Korea. [Photo/WeChat account: Seoul Chinese Cultural Center]

Musicians from Shandong province stage traditional music during the 2019 Korea-China Friendship Concert on Jan 12 in Seoul, capital of South Korea. [Photo/WeChat account: Seoul Chinese Cultural Center]

Wang Binlin (middle), a musician from Shandong Song and Dance Theatre, plays traditional suona (double-reeded horn) during the 2019 Korea-China Friendship Concert on Jan 12 in Seoul, capital of South Korea. [Photo/WeChat account: Seoul Chinese Cultural Center]