Performers and officials from Shandong and Kyrgyzstan pose for a photo at the gala. [Photo/WeChat account: sdswltwx]

A cultural gala featuring the folklore of East China's Shandong province was held at the Kyrgyzstan National Music Hall in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital, on the evening of Sept 7 to mark the China-Central Asian Year of Culture and Art.

Organized by the Shandong Provincial People's Government, the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, and the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports, and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan, and hosted by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, the event was well-received by the audience.

Lin Wu, Party secretary of Shandong, Du Dewen, the Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, and Edil Baisalov, the Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, attended the event.

Traditional opera is performed during the gala. [Photo/WeChat account: sdswltwx]

"Tonight's performance is the highest-level artistic performance in Kyrgyzstan this year. It is a true cultural feast that showcases the colorful Chinese culture and the conscious and confident inheritance of culture by young people. It has added a vibrant chapter to the long-standing friendly relations between China and Kyrgyzstan," said Baisalov.

The performance integrated Shandong's folk music, acrobatics, traditional opera, and martial arts with Kyrgyzstan's dance and traditional music. It was divided into three parts: "Harmony and Joy", "Harmony and Beauty", and "Harmony and Integration".