CHILDREN at a north Durham school were given a taste of Far Eastern culture during a visit from a Chinese musician.

About 100 pupils of Bournmoor Primary School, near Chesterle- Street, enjoyed four workshops with composer Jiang Li.

Mr Li, who visits schools throughout the country, introduced pupils to bowed string instruments, such as the erhu, gaohu, banhu and jingu, as well as plucked string instruments such as the ruan, liuqin and pipa.

He also brought a range of percussion and wind instruments - giving children the chance to play them, as well.

Mr Li, who has had many of his works performed and published, said: "A lot of children are familiar with Kung Fu and Chinese food, but very few have the opportunity to learn about Chinese music.

"The idea is to give them hands-on experience and to inspire them."

Teaching assistant Claire Robertson said: "The pupils really enjoyed it. It was brilliant for them to have hands-on experience with the instruments."

IN Stanley, a festival of music, drama and dance placed the spotlight on the Asian sub-continent.

Lamplight Arts Centre hosted the first South-Asian Youth Arts Festival, entitled Yuva - meaning youth.

The festival was a landmark event for arts development organisation Kalapremi (UK).

The Stanley-based charity is celebrating its jubilee year, and the youth festival was seen as a perfect way of representing its vision of celebrating, encouraging and empowering South-Asian arts across the North-East.

Kalapremi programme manager Vidya Sarangapani said: "The young people were really excited about taking part in the youth festival and this was reflected onstage as they seemed to draw confidence and inspiration from the empathy being emitted by the audience.

"After the success of Yuva, we are looking to make it an annual occasion."

Participants included pupils from Stanhope Barrington CE Primary School, Bishop Auckland, Peases West Primary School of Billy Row, Crook, Samantha's School of Dancing, Stanley, and Tyneside-based North-East Hindu Cultural Trust.

Catherine Peakin, 19, of Durham, who is a studying on a BA course in television production at Bournemouth University, said: "The festival provided a platform for young people to express themselves artistically and proves that organisations are listening to their views."

The festival was supported by Arts Council England, North- East, the Northern Rock Foundation, European Social Fund and Leisureworks.