VALLETTA, April 11 (Xinhua) -- During the 17th edition of the Gaulitana music festival on Gozo Island, Malta, a mesmerizing solo concert showcasing pipa, a pear-shaped stringed instrument in China, took center stage on Thursday.

       At the concert, pipa player Guo Mei from China played several classic Chinese pieces including "Dragon Boat" and "Spring on the Moonlit River." She also played two Maltese compositions, bridging the two cultures with the universal language of music.

       Nataline Debrincat, a teacher from Gozo College Rabat Primary School, led a group of year-four students to the concert. She said she was pleased to see the children's deep engagement with Chinese traditional music. Josephine Xuereb, a teacher from St. Francis Primary School, Gozo, echoed Debrincat. They told Xinhua that it was the first time for them and their students to enjoy Chinese traditional music.

       "It's always nice to share different cultures... All cultures have their own peculiarities, beauties, sounds, colors, and traditions," said Colin Attard, artistic director of the Gaulitana music festival.

       Attard, who visited China in 2019, said he hoped that more Chinese musicians could come to Malta in the future.

       The Gaulitana music festival, organized by the Gaulitanus Choir, runs from March 23 to April 21.