As people in Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus, have been immersed in their fight against the epidemic with the support of the whole China and many in the world, some Polish musicians are using their music to send the solidarity vibes to Wuhan from thousands of miles away.
On Feb 27, a charity concert entitled Solidarity with Wuhan was staged in Warsaw, capital of Poland, by the Polish National Philharmonic, and an original song China performed by 2LATE, a popular Polish blues rock band, became a hit with the audience.
"China, China's on my mind, China always by my side ... China, China's on my mind, China somewhere deep inside..." read the lyrics.
Facing jam-packed concert hall, lead vocalist Artur Krystek raised his hands and shouted in Chinese: "Stay strong China! Stay strong Wuhan!"
The concert turned out to be a huge success, and the people of Warsaw have generously contributed to China's fight against the coronavirus.
"CHINA, OUR SECOND HOME"
2LATE was formed in 2003 by Krystek, who had lived in China for 10 years, and guitarist Robert Szenfeld. The band has performed in several countries and has held seven highly successful concert tours in China.
In perfect Beijing dialect, Krystek talked about his bond with China. "Upon graduating from high school, I was admitted to Beijing Sport University, where I spent an unforgettable period of my youth. After returning to Poland, I kept going back to China basically each year," he told Xinhua.
"In 2008, I also participated in the Beijing Olympics and worked as an interpreter for the Polish Olympic Committee team," he said.
One day before Wuhan was locked down, the band had uploaded a video of their recent tour in China to their official YouTube channel.
"In early January, we've just ended our Chinese music tour in Shandong province and returned to Poland. Our concerts drew huge audiences," Krystek recalled. "But just one week later, the lockdown of Wuhan was announced, and we saw on TV that the streets there were almost empty. It was a shocking and saddening sight."
The band members had been to Wuhan twice. On one occasion they performed together with the popular Chinese rock band Tang Dynasty.
"The cityscape of Wuhan, the scenery on both sides of the Yangtze River and the enthusiasm of the local people made a huge impression on us. As soon as we arrived in Wuhan, we tasted the famous Wuhan hot-dry noodles. It was so delicious! We loved them!" Krystek recalled enthusiastically.
After learning that Poland was preparing to hold a charity concert to support Wuhan, 2LATE immediately contacted the organizers and expressed their willingness to perform for free. The revenues from ticket sales would be donated to the medical units in Wuhan through the Chinese Embassy in Poland.
"It is our duty to participate in the solidarity concert for Wuhan. We often perform there, China is like a second home for us, many of our concerts gathered thousands of passionate Chinese fans. We have so many fond memories of China," guitarist Szenfeld told Xinhua.
