BY Willow Hughes
(Los Angeles, 2025) The 8th Legacy International Art Festival Awards Ceremony was successfully held at the Sheraton San Gabriel Hotel in Los Angeles on June 1, 2025. The event was co-organized by the US-China Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and the American Merano Cultural Performance, bringing together artists, cultural representatives, and Chinese and American politicians from all over the world to witness this far-reaching cultural event. Singer Min Yuan was awarded one of the festival’s top honors—the "Outstanding Legacy Gold Award"—in recognition of her exceptional artistic expression. This honor is not only a high recognition of Min Yuan's personal artistic achievements but also highlights the unique contribution of Chinese culture to overseas inheritance and innovation, which showcases the richness and vitality of contemporary Chinese vocal artistry to a global audience.
This art festival gathered distinguished artistic elites from all over the world and attracted the participation of many cultural, political, and community representatives. Zhiqiang Guo, Deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles; U.S. Congresswoman Judy Chu; California State Treasurer Shiyun Ma; and many local officials attended the event and delivered speeches at the event, all of which highly praised the positive role of the art festival in promoting cultural exchanges between China and the United States. In particular, local government representatives such as Zhongguo Wu, Assistant to the County Magistrate of Los Angeles County, VinhT.Ngo, Mayor of Monterey Park, and Sharon Kwan, Mayor of Arcadia, jointly presented congratulatory proclamations, highlighting the festival’s profound impact on cultural diversity and community solidarity.
Min Yuan
At the award ceremony, Min Yuan conquered the audience and professional judges with the song "My All." Her singing showed solid vocal skills and deep emotional expression and perfectly presented the artistic connotation and emotional tension of the work. The jury was composed of famous music educators Bing Jia, Meixuan Li, Yihan Chen, etc. After a rigorous review, they unanimously agreed that Min Yuan's artistic performance perfectly interpreted the artistic concept of "inheritance and innovation" and decided to award her this important award.
As one of the festival’s most prestigious honors, the "Outstanding Legacy Gold Award" recognizes artists who excel in both cultural preservation and creative development. The jury pointed out in the award speech that Min Yuan's singing not only has a deep understanding of traditional vocal art but also shows an innovative spirit that keeps pace with the times, reflecting her unique artistic performance on the global stage.
Min Yuan graduated from the MI College of Contemporary Music in Los Angeles, and her artistic style cleverly combines Eastern and Western music elements. In her acceptance speech, she said, "This award is not only an affirmation of my personal efforts but also a high recognition of the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture. I will continue to be committed to building a bridge for cultural exchanges between China and the United States through music so that more people can understand the charm and depth of Chinese culture."
In addition to Min Yuan winning the highest award, this art festival also recognized many outstanding artists: Erhu player Changyao Zhu won the "Intangible Culture Contribution Award," and Pipa player Yihan Chen and piano educator Meixuan Li respectively won the "Outstanding Legacy Instructor Award". The establishment of these awards reflects the festival's high attention to the inheritance and development of traditional culture and recognizes artists and educators who have made outstanding contributions to the inheritance and innovation.
More importantly, as the winner of this year's "Outstanding Legacy Gold Award," Min Yuan has been officially invited by the festival organizing committee to become a resident artist in the next few years. The organizing committee highly recognizes Min Yuan's extraordinary talent and innovative spirit. This cooperation means that she is set to take on a central role in future editions of the festival and related cultural exchange initiatives between China and the United States, including participating in important performances, serving as an artistic director, and even co-planning projects, further promoting the in-depth dialogue and integration of Chinese and American cultures.
Since its establishment in 2018, the US Legacy International Art Festival has gradually developed into an important platform for cultural exchanges between China and the United States. The successful holding of this festival and the recognition of artists such as Min Yuan once again demonstrated its positive impact in promoting cultural diversity, community cohesion, and the globalization of Chinese culture. The organizers said that they will continue to deepen this mission in the future.
