BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Performers from Shanghai took to the stage with large rolling lanterns on Wednesday evening, bringing centuries-old Chinese folk art to the opening of La Merce, Barcelona's largest annual city festival.
This year's La Merce will take place on Sept. 23-27. Since 2007, the festival has adopted the tradition of inviting a guest city each year to showcase its cultural identity. Shanghai has become the first city from Asia to participate in that capacity.
Barcelona and Shanghai also mark the 25th anniversary of their sister-city relationship.
With the sound of suona and percussion, Chinese artists presented the performance of Ancient Lanterns of the Sea Dike with Fengxian rolling lantern, combining dance, acrobatics and martial-arts-inspired movements. It drew applause and cheers from thousands of residents and tourists in the square.
The Fengxian rolling lantern is a Chinese folk art with a history of more than 700 years, and has been included in the second batch of China's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Shanghai Vice Mayor Lu Shan said at the opening ceremony that the performance had been adapted to echo Barcelona's human-tower tradition, known as castells.
"Human towers rise layer by layer, while rolling lanterns turn in an endless flow," Lu said, adding that the two traditions differed in form but shared a common spirit.
Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni welcomed the Shanghai delegation and artists, saying the 25-year relationship between Barcelona and Shanghai was also a human bond built day by day by Barcelona's Chinese community.
More than 120 artists from seven groups of Shanghai will stage over 10 performances in streets, parks and beaches across Barcelona during the festival, featuring acrobatics, traditional music, classical and folk dance. A drone light show jointly created by teams from Shanghai and Spain is scheduled for Thursday evening to mark the anniversary of the two cities' friendship ties. ■