Overwhelming applause erupted at the National Center for the Performing Arts when foreign singers performed The Olive Tree, a popular Chinese song from the 1980s, in a bel canto style.

On Sept 4, 37 young performers from 12 countries gave a concert in Beijing, offering the audience a musical feast to tell the story of China over the past 40 years.

The concert was part of this year's iSING! Suzhou International Young Artists Festival, a program to train young vocal artists and to promote cultural exchanges.

Potential foreign and Chinese artists were selected from three continents to receive one month of training from some of the world's most respected opera coaches, before making performances in East China's Suzhou city as well as Shanghai and Beijing.

"I have known about this program for nearly seven years. I thought being a participant is something that I would never be able to achieve. Therefore, coming here is like fulfilling my dream," says Milica Jovi?i?, a performer from Serbia.