KUWAIT CITY, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- A series of cultural events featuring the traditions and tourism resources of north China's Hebei Province kicked off in Kuwait on Saturday evening, drawing more than 300 guests from Kuwait's cultural, arts and media sectors as well as enthusiasts of Chinese culture.
The series opened with a themed performance, "Where Hebei's Moonlight Meets the Gulf," which drew on the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon as shared cultural motifs and featured stage performances, intangible cultural heritage displays, tourism promotion and interactive activities.
The performances included lion dance, Chinese martial arts, Tai Chi, and Tangshan shadow puppetry from Hebei. Kuwaiti musicians performed Chinese and Arab pieces, while students from Chinese-language classes at the China Cultural Center in Kuwait recited Chinese and Kuwaiti poems centered on the moon.
The event also featured mooncake tasting, displays of Hebei intangible cultural heritage and creative products, Chinese and Arabic calligraphy, traditional Chinese games and a "Beautiful Hebei" photo exhibition.
Chinese Ambassador to Kuwait Yang Xin and Secretary-General of National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters Mohammad Al-Jassar attended the event.
In his remarks, Yang said that the Mid-Autumn Festival embodies the Chinese people's aspirations for harvest, harmony and sharing and that the longing for family reunion and a better life reflects emotions shared by the Chinese and Kuwaiti peoples and demonstrates common ground between the two cultures.
Yang noted that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Kuwait. Over the past half century, cultural exchanges have helped deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples and provided a solid foundation for the overall development of bilateral relations, he said.
Al-Jassar said culture has a way of bridging distances, while art, history and poetry are languages shared by humanity. Kuwaiti and Chinese cultures share similarities in hospitality, respect for heritage, and devotion to family and community values, he added.
The event was jointly organized by the China Cultural Center in Kuwait and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Hebei Province. ■
