A singing and dancing performance combining unique Chinese ethnic Hui culture on Thursday night amazed the Bahraini audience at the country's Cultural Hall in the capital Manama.
Performers of Yinchuan Arts Theater rolled out a number of fine productions, including dance dramas, folk songs and traditional Chinese musical instruments playing, showing the charm of northwestern China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and bringing the Bahraini audience into an exotic atmosphere.
"It was amazing," Abd-elsattar Kaadan, a professor at the Kingdom University, told Xinhua after the performance. "China has one of the world's oldest civilizations with rich cultures. Tonight's performance vividly showed us images of the ethnic minority area in China, which is spectacular."
The culture and art exchanging trip marked the end of celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Bahrain.
The outstanding performance was organized by the Chinese Embassy in Bahrain, in collaboration with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.
Havin earned numerous domestic and global awards, Yinchuan Arts Theater has become a name card of Ningxia and China in cultural exchange in the areas involved in the Belt and Road Initiative. Its debut in Bahrain is set to deepen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.
"I love all their performances tonight, but I would say the folk music by the traditional Chinese instruments pipa and erhu was especially captivating," exclaimed Kaadan.
Another audience Aneeqa Haider said that the show was impressive and beautiful, and she was fascinated by the dazzling Chinese ethnic minority costumes. "This was something distinct, different from the other Chinese shows I have seen before. This is my favorite."
Haider said she would love to have more events of this kind in Bahrain. "I want to see more Chinese cultural presence here, and personally I would love to visit China soon."
Chinese Ambassador to Bahrain An Waer told Xinhua that the performance was a successful demonstration of the multi-ethnic cultures of China as well as the Hui Muslim culture. It showed the unity and cohesion of Chinese cultures between different ethnic groups, and also displayed China's exquisite art techniques.
"I believe that this performance will further strengthen the cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between China and Bahrain, along with promoting the Belt and Road Initiative," An noted.
The show came within the increasing efforts between China and Bahrain to promote cultural exchange and cooperation.
In January, the Chinese Guangxi Acrobatic Art Troupe performed in Bahrain to celebrate the Chinese New Year and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of two countries' diplomatic ties.
"In recent years, cultural exchange and cooperation has been one of the highlights of our bilateral relations, from which Bahraini people have gained a better understanding of China and Chinese people," An pointed out.
The ambassador said that in the past 30 years, China and Bahrain's high-level exchanges have become more frequent, political mutual trust has been consolidated, economic cooperation has been rapidly promoted, and cultural exchanges and cooperation have achieved great success.
The bilateral trade volume reached 1.97 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, according to the economic and commercial counsellor's office of the Chinese embassy in Bahrain. In 2018, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly advance the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative.
"With the integration of China's Belt and Road Initiative and Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030, the future of our bilateral friendly relations will further prosper," An added.
