A Series of “Musical Voyages along the Marine Road”
The historical Silk Road functioned as the overland trading route between China on the one hand and South Asia, West Asia, Europe and North Africa on the other via Central Asia. Likewise, there was the Marine Silk Road, also known simply as the Marine Road, which was a seaward passage for trade and cultural exchange between East and West in ancient times. Indeed the Marine Silk Road was established before the land route of the Silk Road. It is the oldest sea trade route known in the world, and the main artery of the ancient sea lanes on the South China Sea to Southeast Asian countries, through the Malacca Straits between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian islands to reach Sri Lanka and India on the Indian Ocean, and then on the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea eventually reaching out to the countries in Africa and the Roman Empire in Europe.
In 1984, Min-On initiated a series of cultural exchange concerts entitled Musical Voyage along the Marine Road, and brought more than two hundred musicians and performing artists from eight different countries in Southeastern Asia onstage across Japan. The performances met with great popular success for the way they showed how musical culture developed based on the history of cultural exchange along the historical Marine Silk Road.
Musical Voyage along the Marine Road
The Malaysia National Dance Group in 1986
The Ramon Obusan Folkloric Dance Troupe of the Philippines in 1990
The Myanmar National Theater Dance Ensemble in 1992- 1st Installment, 1984 with the Thailand National Dance Group
- 2nd Installment, 1986 with the Malaysia National Dance Group
- 3rd Installment, 1988 with the Sundanese Dance Group of Indonesia
- 4th Installment, 1990 with the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Dance Troupe of the Philippines
- 5th Installment, 1992 with the Myanmar National Theater Dance Ensemble
- 6th Installment, 1994 with the Brunei National Folk Dance Troupe
- 7th Installment, 1996 with the Saigon Tourist Phu Dong Ensemble and Ca Hue Ensemble of Vietnam
- 8th Installment, 1998 with the Sri Lankan Budawatta Dance Troupe
