Cultural event promoting exchanges between artists from Beijing and Xinjiang

Volunteers from Beijing traveled to Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region to give performances and demonstrate intangible cultural heritage recently. The event was organized by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Xinjiang government.

The volunteer team,including 37 artists from Central Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble, Beijing Opera and Dance Company and Beijing Opera Arts College, performed Peking Opera, traditional music in Hotan and Kashgar. Local artists also performed Uygur dance and music.

The presentation of intangible cultural heritage attracted the audience’s interest with the exquisite skills and a wide range of works. Highlighted exhibits include the delicately crafted embroidery pillows, handmade kites, dough figurines and fine pieces of calligraphy.

“The audiences are very curious and the most asked question is ‘can such a small kite fly’,” said Ha Xin, the artisan who made the kites.

Wu Lei, dancer and vice-president of the Beijing Opera Arts College, Zhou Peng, a national-level performer of the Beijing Opera and Dance Company, and Zhao Jie, director of the Music Copyright Association of China, gave lectures on the topics of dance, music, and pop creation and performance, and shared their experience and skills with cultural workers and art lovers in Xinjiang.

The event is part of Spring Rain campaign organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission to carry out various cultural and tourism volunteer services in accordance with the local traditions and people’s needs. In the future project, Beijing will also work with the Inner Mongolia autonomous region to enhance the capacity of public cultural services for cultural workers and organize book donation activities.