Chinese art week opens in Sweden

A colorful soiree featuring Chinese music and acrobatics made a splash in this Swedish city on Monday, kick-starting a weeklong feast of the Chinese arts. Some 1,000 people attended the opening event of China Today Arts Week, where the performance of Chinese vocalists, instrumentalists and acrobats drew thunderous applause from an enraptured audience. Jointly organized by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Sweden and the Southern Music Association of Sweden, the program will be held in seven cities across the Scandinavian country till Oct. 7. During the event, the Swedish public will have a chance to enjoy a rich series of films, puppet shows, modern dances, folk dances and folk music performances from the Asian country. China Today Arts Week is the largest and most inclusive of its kind in the history of cultural exchanges between the two countries, said Chinese Ambassador Lan Lijun. The art festival will help the Swedish people understand that China is a country imbued with both time-honored traditions and modern flavors and that the peace-loving Chinese nation is committed to promoting cultural diversity and building a harmonious world, Lan added.