The poetry, music and dance were Irish, including a bilingual recitation of China's favourite Yeats poem, When You Are Old, but the performers were Chinese. Musicians from Minzu University, which specialises in ethnic minority studies, performed Irish music on traditional Chinese instruments before a spectacular display of Irish dancing. We were in the auditorium of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries in Beijing to mark the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the People's Republic of China (PRC). There were speeches from the association's vice-president Yuan Mindao and Ireland's ambassador to China…
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