Dubai: As a way of celebrating decades of relationship between China and the UAE while also marking the Chinese new year falling on February 19, a cultural event was held on Tuesday by the Chinese Consulate General in Dubai and Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
The art performance was held at the Dubai Cultural and Scientific Association in Al Mamzar and featured 10 compelling acts and performances of Jiangsu art.
Several accomplished artists, including musicians and dancers, performed a wide variety of art forms including graceful dances, puppet show, instrumental music and spectacularly choreographed song and dance compositions.
Introducing the show, the Consul General of People’s Republic of China in Dubai, Tang Weibin, said the influence of the Chinese Spring Festival in Dubai has been growing over the years and the cultural exchange between the two countries has become extremely dynamic.
“The Spring Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals of the Chinese nation. The popularity of the festival in Dubai is really an inevitable result of the continuous development of the Chinese-UAE relations,” he said.
Tang also said that not only has the Chinese community carried out the celebrations “but also big malls and hotels have held and diversified the celebrations of this festival”.
Dr Salah Al Qasim, Adviser to the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, told Gulf News that the event aims to strengthen cultural relations with the Chinese community in Dubai and also serves as an opportunity to familiarise Dubai residents with the vibrant folk art forms of China and promote intercultural exchange.
“This is not the first time we’ve held cultural events like these representing different diverse cultures. We will continue to do this as part of our efforts to promote cultural exchange and we invite the public to always take the opportunity to attend such events,” he said.
Al Qasim added that the government always tries to focus on cultural exchange “because these countries are also keen on experiencing the UAE culture and other cultures in the city.”
The event mostly attracted Chinese families living the UAE, who said the event was a great way to meet and celebrate the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
Ying Zhang, a Chinese businesswoman who has been living in the UAE for 10 years, said ,“I brought my son to watch the shows because it is one of the ways we celebrate the Chinese New Year back in our country.”
Some tourists and UAE residents who attended the event said that it was the perfect opportunity to explore one of the oldest cultures in history, the Chinese culture.
Adnan Saloom, a Syrian marionettist and a children’s theatre organiser, said he has always been fascinated with Asian cultures, particularly with their artistic talents.
“Chinese folk art has always been known for its sophistication and high level of precision, and this is what makes it different. Even though I couldn’t understand their language, their performance today was very expressive and spoke for itself.”
Macie Kaminski, a tourist from Poland, said he never got the chance to see a live Chinese cultural performance before that combined many different acts on one stage.
“We were extremely curious to see the performances and celebrate the New Year with them in this way. We also learnt a lot more about them through this event and we look forward to visiting their country one day,” he said.
