Chinese culture shines in Istanbul

A Chinese Culture Week themed "The Modern Silk Road" opened here on Saturday, serving attendants a feast for the eyes and appetite. The week-long event, as part of 2012 China Culture Year, features documentaries, Mongolian art shows and Chinese cuisine, presenting China's traditional culture and the lifestyle of its ethnic minorities. At the opening ceremony, artists from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region performed a series of Mongolian songs and dances, and gave the guests Hada, a piece of silk used as greeting gift. "This is my first time receiving Chinese culture, and I hope someday I can go there and learn more," Fatimah, a college student in Istanbul, told Xinhua, adding she was impressed by the performance. "An Eternal Lamb," a selected film in The Montreal World Film Festival last year, depicted the lifestyle of Chinese Kazakh people with a local presence, which drew wide applause among the audience. Two Chinese Huaiyang Cuisine chefs, Xiong Shiwei and Zhang Baojian, were also invited to prepare dishes.