Sun, sea and symphony

The Wave Jazz Party on the center lawn of Sky Mountain, Haikou Bay, on Dec 23. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Liu Bingqian, 29, came to Hainan from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 2016.She attended the Wave Jazz Party of the festival on Dec 23 and 24. While Grammy-winning Cameroonian multi-instrumentalist Richard Bona and his Asante Trio performed, Liu and her friends danced in front of the stage along with the jazz. "I've practiced swing dance, which goes perfectly with the jazz music, and I sincerely hope that Hainan will have more music events like this," she said.

During the festival, there were also flash mob activities across the city. For example, in the Qilou Old Street, which features a stylish fusion of European, Southeast Asian and traditional Chinese architecture, a music flash mob is "a perfect collision of Eastern and Western cultures", Xing said. "The historical street and the music is a perfect combination."

He is looking forward to seeing that the next festival will have more Hainan culture and music elements like folk songs of the Li and Miao ethnic groups and Hainan Eight Tunes, referring to the eight types of musical instruments made of materials cultivated in the province, in the performances.

"When music kisses the waves and the coconut grove, it will certainly spark our imagination. In December, we give free rein to the tons of imagination that music brings in Haikou," Wan said.