The opening ceremony for the 7th Across the Pacific-China Arts Festival was held in San Francisco, USA on Oct 24 via online link.

Dances, acrobatics, and folk music shows were held during the opening ceremony, with a focus on Shandong cultural tourism. An array of themed exhibitions such as a "New Year painting exhibition", "Shandong Han Dynasty portrait stone exhibition", and "Ming Dynasty costume culture exhibition" were held as well.

Shandong is the hometown of Confucius and the cradle of Confucianism.

"The festival serves as a platform for cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between China and the United States," said Wang Donghua, the Chinese consul general in San Francisco at the opening ceremony.

Cultural and artistic experts and officials from the west coast states of the United States hailed the festival via videos and letters and stressed that cultural exchanges plays an important role in the development of bilateral relations.

Representative Dina Titus of Nevada's First Congressional District, said in her congratulatory video that, since 2014, the China Arts Festival has been served as a bridge for Sino-US cultural exchanges.

The 7th Across the Pacific-China Arts Festival is an important part of the Across the Pacific-China-US Cultural Exchange and Cooperation Activity. It was hosted by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Consulate General of China in San Francisco.