Peace, Love and Friendship Concert Videos

An assortment of videos from the Peace, Love and Friendship Concert.

The Story Behind Buoey Lehoo

Beijing-born Chinese-American singer-songwriter Shunza. Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily

FOR FANS AND CHARITY

Shunza took a good look at her life in 2010 and this led to her decision to hold a charity concert that aims to help students who want to study abroad but can't afford it. The Chinese-American singer-songwriter moved from Beijing to San Francisco at the age of 6, along with her mother and older sister, when her parents divorced. After graduating from high school, she pursued her studies at the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Lausanne, Switzerland. She sang in clubs for eight years, until she was discovered by Taiwan's Rock Records and became a professional singer-songwriter in 1994. "I was alone and poor when I lived in Switzerland, but my passion for music finally fulfilled my dream of being a singer-songwriter," she recalls. "Whenever I look back at those days, I feel grateful to those who helped me."

The singer-songwriter, who is known for her wide vocal range and velvet voice, has sold millions of albums and won Best Female Singer and Best Composer awards at Taiwan's prestigious Golden Melody Awards. Now, she feels the need to do something in return for others.

"If I wanted to make money, then I would perform at commercial concerts. I would sing Going Home (one of her biggest hits, released in 1997) for the rest of my life," she says. "I can have my own house or car and just keep it. But I don't want to live my life in vain. I want to do something meaningful."

She originally thought a small scale concert would work well. But with her friends' support, the project snowballed into Booyi Lehoo (or Bu Yi Le Hu), to be held on Dec 17, 2011, at Beijing's National Indoor Stadium, featuring will.i.am, of the Black Eyed Peas, Grammy award-winning musician John Legend, mainland crossover singer Sa Dingding and Chinese-American singer Coco Lee.

Shunza hopes the concert will see Chinese and American artists perform together, while she will likely perform a duet with John Legend and Coco Lee.

"This is real communication among artists from the two countries," she says. "Yes, Beyonce came to Beijing but she left after the concert. If she had sung with Na Ying (mainland pop diva), then it would be much more interesting."

This idea of cross-cultural communication also applies to students studying abroad.

"It's really unfair for a student to give up studying abroad and learning another culture due to a lack of money," she says.

Shunza adds all the artists have agreed to perform without payment and guarantees her US team will ensure all the money is used to help financially strapped students in the United States. Her charity concert has received support from the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation and the government of Los Angeles.

For the concert's recent press conference in Beijing, Antonio Villaraigosa, the mayor of Los Angeles, announced a partnership between his city and charitable foundations dedicated to promoting educational exchanges between China and the US.

With the joint efforts of the Mayor's Office, Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA) and the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation, Beijing will provide opportunities for poor high school students from the US city.

The concert will also support the 100,000 Strong Initiative, an effort launched in November 2009 by US President Barack Obama. The project intends to dramatically increase the number and diversity of American students studying in China.

"I really didn't expect it could go that far and big. My sister is a Los Angeles Times reporter and she called to say that she is proud of me," says Shunza. "You know, recognition from your family really matters. The sense of achievement cannot be measured by how much money I make."

To expand the concert's influence and increase the financial benefits to poor students, Shunza says that a 90-minute video of the concert will be sold to Los Angeles TV stations. Further, in 2012, she will take Chinese singer-songwriters to the US for another round of charity concerts.

"I believe what I am doing is meaningful and I will do the best I can. I don't want to compromise or just pretend to be a charity person. I want to make it last," she says.

SOURCE: ASIANEWSNET.NET

Booey Lehoo gets off to a Bouncing Start

The Booey Lehoo Arts Week Tips Off With International Basketball Friendship Event

With a focus on establishing friendship through sports and cultural collaboration, and promoting stronger platforms for China-US educational exchange initiatives, on December 10th, the Booey Lehoo Arts Week will launch an exciting week of activities in Beijing with the “16 X 16 Tipoff Basketball Tournament”.

Beijing China (PRWEB) December 09, 2011

Former NBA All-Star forward Jamal Mashburn will host the basketball tournament. Known in his NBA playing days as "Monster Mash", Mr. Mashburn will be active throughout the day participating in basketball clinics, mentoring the student/athletes throughout the event and games as well as greeting those in attendance. "I am impressed with the concept of the event, the student/athletes and overall project. This event shows just what can happen when young people from China and the United States work together, and shows the value of the work being done through the Booey Lehoo festival to support the 100,000 Strong Initiative," remarked Mashburn.

Assisting "Mash" in the basketball activities will be Ma Jian, former Chinese basketball star and NBA analyst for sina.com, along with Tom McCarthy, Boston Celtics (NBA) Asian scout & chairman of Beijing International Group (BIG), and Jim Nelson, former NCAA (USA) star at Boston College & present athletic director of Suffolk University (Boston) along with local high school coaches.

The 8 Boston (USA), 8 WAB high school student/athletes and 16 Chinese high school student/athletes from Beijing will join together to form 8 "Friendship Teams" to compete for the "Jackie Chan Cup", a trophy donated by the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing (JCCF), which is a partner in the Booey Lehoo Arts Week and Concert with Americans Promoting Study Abroad (APSA).

The week culminates in a star-studded concert on December 17th headlined by 7-time Grammy-­Winner will.i.am. The concert, held at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing on December 17, will also include performances by Shunza, John Legend, CoCo Lee (invited), apl.de.ap, and Sa Dingding. The show will celebrate and support U.S.-China educational and cultural exchange and promote the 100,000 Strong Initiative. Tickets are available through http://www.booeylehoo.com.

Motorola is a key sponsor for the Booey Lehoo Arts Weeks and Concert. Peak is sponsoring the official event gear. Beijing International Group (BIG) is coordinating the City of Boston Mayor's Office & Boston Public School participation as well as teaming with APSA on event management for the tournament and clinic.

WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE

The Booey Lehoo Arts Week and Concert, organized by APSA and its Chinese partners with support from JCCF, aims to raise awareness of the 100,000 Strong Initiative, an initiative announced by President Obama in 2009 and launched by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2010 to dramatically increase the numbers of US students coming to China to study. APSA works to provide study opportunities for high school students from underserved communities. APSA co-founder Mike Dardzinski, providing his perspective commented: "It's just great to see young people from our two great countries pooling their talent for a good cause, and the event shows that if we work together, the future of the world in the 21st century is in safe hands. We are very excited about all of the Booey Lehoo events, and are committed to giving study exchange opportunities to the largest possible number of high school students.”

A WEEK OF EXCITEMENT & BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS

Bringing the exciting week of activities to a smashing conclusion will be the December 17 concert featuring American music superstars will.i.am, apl.de.ap and John Legend performing with Chinese superstars Shunza and Sa Dingding in individual, duet and collaboration arrangements. The concert will take place at the National Indoor Stadium.

There is something for everyone throughout the Booey Lehoo Arts Week as fans can enjoy dance, classical music, literary activities as well as a special evening of blues and jazz straight from the Windy City, Chicago, IL.

To add to the seasonal spirit of giving, the Boston students will participate in a Community Service Day with other APSA student ambassadors at a local Beijing school.

Further details on the Booey Lehoo Arts Week & Concert, as well as ticket information are provided at http://www.booeylehoo.com.

SOURCE: NEWS.YAHOO.COM