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Feature: Folklore shows of China's Gansu win applause in Egypt

Xinhua, December 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

With passionate music and colorful dance, a group of Chinese artists presented distinctive performances reflecting the ancient "Silk Road" culture to hundreds of Egyptian local audience on Saturday night in a local theater of Fayoum city, some 100 km southwest of the capital Cairo.

Under the theme of "2016 China Day in Egypt," the two-day show was part of the "Cultural Week of Gansu" held together by the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo and the provincial government of Gansu in China, as the grand finale of the Chinese-Egyptian Cultural Year 2016.

As an integral part of the "Silk Road" dating back to thousands of years ago, the Gansu province is characterized by its unique ethnic customs and ancient traditional arts, which were fully expressed on stage by Chinese local artists last night.

"Just like Gansu of China, Fayoum is referred to by historians as 'Minor Egypt'. Rich in archaeology of several civilizations and famous as a tourist destination, Fayoum has been the best choice to host the cultural event that is meant to strengthen the deep-rooted ties with our Chinese friends," Governor of Fayoum province Gamal Sami said in his speech, expressing keenness to promote cooperation between the two countries.

"I also want to seize this chance to ask my Chinese friends to promote tourism in Egypt. A few weeks ago, a group of Chinese tourists visited Fayoum for the first time in recent years, and we are looking forward to welcome more Chinese friends to enjoy tourist sites here," Sami added.

For her part, Chinese cultural counselor to Egypt and head of Chinese Cultural Center Chen Dongyun told the audience that "marking 60 years of establishing the Chinese-Egyptian diplomatic relations, 2016 was chosen as a joint cultural year for larger cultural exchange. More than 100 cultural activities have been held in both countries so far, which helped much strengthen the deep-rooted friendly relations between the two peoples."

Amid audience applause, Chen continued that "the Silk Road used to link ancient Egypt and China, and today the 'one Road, one Belt' initiative has resumed the exchange between the two countries in all fields. I feel great to share with our local people this beautiful night."

The stage décor and lighting were simple, relaxing and cultural-oriented, while the live shows, including Chinese whip Kung Fu, traditional wind instrument zurna performance, folklore dances and others, appealed so much to the audience.

"The shows today are incredible. Actually, I have watched many Chinese drama shows on TV, but live shows are simply something else. The performances are super and extremely professional," 19-year-old college student and actress Yosra Mahmoud told Xinhua.

"Mostly, this kind of cultural shows are staged in classy theatres in Cairo, which ordinary people can hardly afford to enjoy such performances," she added, hoping for more opportunities to enjoy and learn more about Chinese cultural arts and traditional music.

Like the junior actress, most of the audience were high school and university students who described the shows as "precious." The free tickets served in promoting the Chinese cultural activity and making it accessible and popular among the locals.

Coming from Gansu province mostly inhabited by the Muslim Hui community, the shows also mirrored several aspects of Chinese Muslim cultural and traditional arts.

"It's the first time for me to see a live Chinese art show. I really loved the feeling of harmony between the music and the colors of costumes. I can feel the similarities between Chinese and Egyptian cultures, which make me understand the performances easily," said Hagar Saeed, a 17-year-old student, while imitating a Chinese dance with her sister.

"I think the most important thing is the current cultural exchanges between the two countries. Thanks to these efforts, the Chinese culture has come to us and ours flown to China. We should maintain these extraordinary ties and make them even stronger," another college student, Amr Hawwas, said with a smile. Endit