The 2026 “Cultural China · Water Cube Cup” Chinese Song Contest Awards Ceremony brought young singers from around the world together in Beijing.
The 2026 “Cultural China · Water Cube Cup” Chinese Song Contest Awards Ceremony opened on August 8 at the National Aquatics Centre, also known as the “Water Cube”, in Beijing.
The ceremony opened with the theme song Gather at the Water Cube, performed by contestants from this year’s competition.
Meanwhile, more than 100 young participants from the 2026 “Cultural China · Water Cube Cup” Chinese Music Summer Camp also took part in the evening. They performed alongside renowned soprano Wu Bixia, National Theatre of China first-class actor Wu Yue, singer Alan Dawa Dolma, and young actor Zhang Rui. Their performances included Jasmine Flower, The Scales of the Dragon and A Song Written for Us.
Gold, silver and bronze awards were presented throughout the program, along with special honours including the Most Popular Award, Cultural Exchange Ambassador Award, Chinese Language Rising Star Award, Outstanding Organisation Award and Best Organisation Award.
The ceremony also featured an interactive session on the film A Letter from Grandma.
Chen Shiying, a Malaysian Chinese girl who won the Gold Award in the Overseas Youth Category, said the contest gave her more than a prize.
“I made many friends from around the world who also love music,” she said. “For me, Chinese songs are like a key, opening the door to Chinese culture.”
Qiu Junrong, from the Johannesburg regional division in South Africa, won the Gold Award in the Overseas Young Adult Category.
“This is a new beginning for me,” he said. “It has given me more confidence to keep creating and performing Chinese songs. I believe good music can cross borders and bring people from different cultural backgrounds together. In the future, I hope to connect with audiences around the world through more Chinese songs.”
This year, the contest lasted more than six months under the theme “Voice Moves the World, Music Has Me”. It featured 60 sub-competitions across 33 countries and attracted more than 9,000 participants.
Since its launch in 2011, the “Cultural China · Water Cube Cup” Chinese Song Contest has been held for 16 consecutive editions. Overseas Chinese communities, Chinese-language media and Chinese-language schools have supported and participated in the contest in various ways.
To date, the contest has attracted nearly 80,000 participants from around the world.
Written by Sha Liu, additional reporting by CNS.
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