The First Chinese Guitar Festival and the First Chinese Guitar Masters Competition opened in scenic Hainan Island Monday.

Sponsored by the China Guitar Society and China Musicians Association, the event is the first national guitar culture festival held on a par with international guitar competition practice.

More than 400 guitar players and fans from all over China gathered at the festival. World famous musicians and guitar masters from home and abroad such as Shi Fu, Fan Shengqi, Zhang Shiguang and Ivan Carcia from Spain, are attending the event.

The festival consists of guitar competitions, a camp tour around Hainan Island, a Guitar Night, lectures by masters and a Guitar Masters' Concert, where, for the first time in China, as many as over 20 international guitar masters will perform together.

"The festival not only serves as a stage for first-class Chinese guitar players, but also as a platform for guitar lovers to exchange ideas and learn from one another and improve themselves," said Shi Fu, president of China Guitar Society.

"I didn't come for prizes, but to learn from the masters and other competitors," said an 11-year-old contestant from east China's Fujian Province who was making preparations for the classical guitar competition.

The Chinese began to play guitar as early as the 1920s. But whereas the Chinese used to merely imitate western performers, Chinese guitar players now consciously make innovations, according to Shi Fu.

According to statistics issued in 2001 by China Musicians Association, China had 50 million guitar lovers.

"This guitar festival will be helpful in promoting guitar culture in China," Shi Fu said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2005)