Thunderous applause reverberated through the packed Jinji Lake Concert Hall in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on July 15 as 83-year-old Chen Xieyang conducted a performance by gifted musicians with a broad range of repertoire and stylistic diversity.

It was not just a harmonious evening to mark the 95th anniversary of the inception of the People's Liberation Army, but also one to announce the much-awaited return of the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra's regular live shows, which were suspended since February in the wake of the resurgence of the coronavirus pandemic.