New York, Nov 7 — With 39 days to go before the opening of the 13th International Day of the Belt and Road (Silk Road Festival) and the inaugural World Buddhist Music Congress, the New York Secretariat of the World Peace Ribbon Organization held an online video conference. To support the successful hosting of the inaugural World Buddhist Music Congress in Mandalay, Myanmar, the meeting resolved to establish the World Buddhist Music Society and International Buddhist Music Society. Mr. Chen Entian was unanimously elected by all participating delegates to serve as President of the World Buddhist Music Society and International Buddhist Music Society.
Chen Entian expressed sincere gratitude for the trust and affection bestowed by all delegates. In addition to his election speech, he shared an interesting childhood story with the participants. Chen Entian spent his childhood in Leshan, Sichuan, known as the Oriental Buddhist Capital. On a cold winter day in his youth, he went to school wearing a thick, oversized cotton-padded jacket. One classmate casually gave him the nickname “Big Buddha”, and the name soon spread among the other children. At that time, young people generally received materialist education and had little understanding of Buddhas and deities, and the nickname carried a tone of mockery. Young Chen Entian felt deeply humiliated and was very angry. Seeing his anger, his classmates called him by the nickname even more. One classmate was even chased for several miles by Chen Entian over this matter.
As time went by and he grew up and gained understanding, Chen Entian later thought the nickname “Big Buddha” held special meaning. He later used “Big Buddha” as his literary pen name, and also adopted it as a personal code when working overseas. Chen Entian said with a smile that he never imagined this little story from his childhood would link him to the Buddha, and now he shoulders the important responsibility of serving as President of the World Buddhist Music Society and International Buddhist Music Society.
Sources explained that three main reasons underpinned the election of Chen Entian as President. First, Chen Entian boasts profound artistic attainments in music. He has composed more than one hundred songs, among which I Am the Son of the Loess Land was selected into the collection of one hundred revolutionary songs for the centenary of the Communist Party of China. Second, Chen Entian enjoys extensive international influence. He is respectfully known as Prince Coco in the international community, has led multiple international societies, serves as World Peace Goodwill Ambassador, and is the chief author of The Scripture of Peace and The Silk Worm Scripture. Third, Chen Entian commands high international credibility. Born into a distinguished family, he is the grandson of Chen Guangmei, a reclusive scholar. According to reports from Party media and journals, Chen Guangmei was the son of Chen Duxiu, a founder of the Communist Party of China, and Gao Junman. His adoptive father Chen Dacheng was a descendant of Chen Tingjing, Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Pavilion and imperial tutor to the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty. His elder brother Chen Yannian once served as the top leader of the Communist Party of China in South China in the early years of the Party, and his second elder brother Chen Qiaonian served as Acting Director of the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee in the early period.
It is understood that after its establishment, the World Buddhist Music Society and International Buddhist Music Society will carry out preparatory work for the inaugural World Buddhist Music Congress, integrate global Buddhist music cultural resources, promote exchanges and mutual learning of Buddhist music arts, boost the cultural communication of the Silk Road, empower the upcoming series of cultural events of the 13th International Day of the Belt and Road (Silk Road Festival), and use music as a bridge to advance civilizational exchange and people-to-people bonds.
