As many as 11,000 drummers gathered at a ceremony in Hong Kong Dec. 2, 2006, for what the United Nations declared International Day of Disabled Persons. The drumming event was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest recorded group drumming event in the world.

To mark the special day, the Hong Kong government and other organizations hosted a nine-day event called the International Festival of Inclusive Arts.

The drummers featured in the opening ceremony included people with and without disabilities. They played a 10-minute piece called “The Earth Shall Move,” composed by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, which also participated in the drumming event.

The Hong Kong Drum Jam group, which includes 37 disabled children and seniors, officially joined the drum extravaganza playing reusable plastic water bottles provided by the organizers, five gallon bass drums, five litre middle-pitch drums and 500 ml beans-in-a-bottle shaker drums.

Kumi Masunaga of Rhythm of Life Co. in Hong Kong plays in the Hong Kong Drum Jam group, and said he was glad to have been one of the 11,000 drummers.

“I am glad to have had the opportunity to experience the power of oneness and to share my spirit on this scale,” Masunaga said. “From the very young to the elderly, abled and disabled, together we were all as excited and happy as children.”