Watch: Emiratis dance on Great Wall of China
The Emirati dance troupe flew into China ahead of Sheikh Mohammed’s visit to China
Dubai: One of the great Wonders of the World wooed local visitors with a group of special guests from the UAE.
The Great Wall of China hosted an Emirati troupe who performed the traditional Al Ayala 'stick dance', much to the delight of Chinese visitors and tourists who were caught by surprise with the unannounced performance.
The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a World Heritage by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1987. The longest wall of the world is 21,196.18 km long and over the years, has lost around 30 per cent due to erosion.
Mobile phones were quickly pulled out of people’s pockets to capture and record the Emirati men chanting away in the colloquial Emirati dialect, as they swayed their sticks to and fro in their kandoras.
The dance troupe made their special guest appearance to celebrate the upcoming state visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Sheikh Mohammed is due to visit China this week at a time when the trade and economic relations between the two countries are booming.
The state visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to China in April 2019 witnessed announcements of two mega projects worth a total of $3.4 billion investments.
On Sunday, Dr Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to China, explained that the state visit was a great privilege to receive from the Chinese government.
“The Crown Prince arrived on Chinese soil one year to the day that the UAE had the great honour of welcoming President Xi Jinping, as he joined for an historical state visit on July 21, 2018. The relationship that has formed between our nations during this time is testament to a shared worldview and shared values. The Emirati people are grateful to have our wise leadership hosted in the great nation of China and this will be the fourth visit of His Highness to the country.”
“This year’s visit is of importance as it builds on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership announced in July of last year - we hope to make exponential progress on that already strong foundation. Last July, the UAE and China signed a number of Memorandums of Understanding, which formed a blueprint for our cooperation and collaboration in many areas.
“The best way to view the current state of Sino-UAE relations is to understand that it forms a series of agreements across a number of different sectors. We are currently engaging across Energy, Education, Healthcare, Artificial Intelligence, Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Culture and Tourism,” he added.