As part of a 20-day nationwide ethnic art festival that opened
in Beijing Sunday, over 1,000 artists performed ethnic dances and
songs in a special soiree for foreign diplomats to China.
The special soiree showcased many typical performances,
including Tibetan operas, the Biography of King Gesar in Tibetan
language, the Uyghur Dastan, Korean oral tradition and the
Mongolian ethnic pastoral song.
Diplomats from all embassies in China have been invited to watch
the grand ethnic art performance, said the Chinese Foreign
Ministry.
"Chinese ethnic culture and arts are fabulous," said Mohamed
Antar, Minister Counsellor with the Tunisian Embassy to China.
"Each ethnic group features a unique culture, representing people's
different lifestyles. That's why I am so fascinated with China's ethnic groups."
The Third National Joint Art Performance of Ethnic Groups,
started on September 5, has drawn 4,500 ethnic artists.
"All China's ethnic groups with such rich culture and unique
arts could live together in harmony," said Mohammad Sabir Ismail,
Iraqi ambassador to China, furthering his belief that the Chinese
government can handle ethnic minority issues properly.
China has 56 ethnic groups and has five autonomous regions for
ethnic groups and 21 ethnic groups have their own written
languages. The protection of ethnic culture is stipulated in
China's Constitution, laws and regulations.
"I found that ethnic minority people are strongly encouraged to
create and perform literatures, operas, dramas and musical skills
in their own languages." said Marcelo Magnou, from the Uruguayan
Embassy, who has already spent one year in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
China's autonomous regions boasted more than 9,000 cultural
institutions, including 513 performance art troupes, 566 libraries,
163 museums, 81 public art galleries, 642 cultural palaces and
6,894 cultural centers, according to the State Ethnic Affairs
Commission (SEAC).
"It is the first time to hold such grand ethnic performance for
foreign diplomats, but there will be more to promote understanding
between all Chinese ethnic groups and the world." said a SEAC
official Zhou Fang.
(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2006)
