Roundup: Rare chance to get to know western China in Germany

An exhibition of pictures and thangka about western China wrapped up here on Saturday, putting an end to a series of events which provided a rare chance for people in Germany to get to know culture in western China.

The exhibition of pictures and thangka which are Tibetan Buddhist scroll paintings, is the last leg of a 12-day tour of cultural events showcasing culture in western China. Over 160 pictures and thangka featuring multi-facets of people's life in western China opened a window for viewers to get a glimpse of the culture of western China.

"I find it very beautiful, a lot of colors and they are good pictures. The thangka paintings are wonderful,"a German woman told Xinhua at the exhibition. "The pictures are telling stories about the real life of the local people in western China, " said Song Ming, head of an art school in China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Song is a painter and helped pick the pictures for the exhibition.

The exhibition opened on May 23 when around 200 people attended an opening ceremony. It showcased distinctive features of the culture and arts of the vast western part of China, and the thangka paintings on display are actually treasure of the treasure house of Chinese culture, said Liang Jianquan, consul-general of Chinese Consulate General in Frankfurt.

As part of the series of events, "Roof of The World", a documentary depicting the life of Tibetan people was shown at a theatre in Stuttgart on May 19. Some viewers were reluctant to leave at the end of the film.

Florian Goebel was living in Stuttgart and shared his feelings with Xinhua after watching the documentary. "I have never been to Tibet. It was a vast and mysterious region to me. That's why I decided that I should be here tonight. The scenes were attractive. People are living a happy and harmonious life there, which makes me feel eager to go visit Tibet," he said.

Alina Wotson is still a student and said she liked the documentary. It demonstrated love between human beings and animals and it was fantastic, she argued.

What kicked off the 12-day event was a show of singing and dancing on May 17. Renate H. Sterzel, vice mayor of Frankfurt city, said she was impressed. "It was a wonderful show with Chinese people from different ethnic groups dancing and singing together," she said. The event was jointly organized by China's State Council Information Office and China's Consulate General in Frankfurt. Endit