Onthe night of May 31, 2019, the 18th Galaxy Award Ceremony of the 12thChina Art Festival was held in the Opera Hall of Shanghai Oriental Art Center, during which 20 winnerswere released. Hubei Province won three awards for the dance An Ode to Tillingthe Earth, the folk art PoeticGenius and the signing with performance Forging a Silver Lock.

Theceremony was composed of 10 programs in three chapters – Happy Songs on the Earth, Small Familes in a Great Countryand Time for Dream Pursuit.An Ode to Tilling the Earth was the first show that drew extensive applausesfor the children’s excellent performances. When the host asked the childrenwhat their dream is then after the performance, the answer “the Spring FestivalGala” brought laughter from audiences. The ceremony ended with the song Stars Shining in China, theaward-wining work of Hubei at the 16th Galaxy Award Ceremony.

Atthe media briefing in the afternoon, the production team of An Ode to Tillingthe Earth told us that the most of the children are left-behind from thevillages in Jiangling County and at an average age of eight (the oldest in tenand the youngest in six). An Ode to Tilling the Earth is also an achievement ofpoverty alleviation in Jiangling County by Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism.