Dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Cultural and Art Exchange Week of International Youth in Beijing on Saturday. Photo: Courtesy of Dongfang Nuan

Dancers perform during the opening ceremony for the Cultural and Art Exchange Week of International Youth in Beijing on Saturday. Photo: Courtesy of Dongfang Nuan

The 8th Cultural and Art Exchange Week of International Youth kicked off in Beijing on Saturday. 

A total of 12 delegations from countries including Australia, Peru, Sri Lanka, India, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, Germany and Russia, and about 5,000 youths from the Chinese mainland and Macao attended the event. 

The opening ceremony was held at the 2019 International Horticultural Exhibition park in Beijing's Yanqing district.

The opening ceremony was directed by famous Chinese director Chen Xini and hosted by hosts from CCTV's youth channel. Wang Hong, vice mayor of Beijing, and other government officials attended the opening ceremony.  

The international delegations, Chinese Macao delegation and more than 10 Chinese performance groups sporting their flags and traditional costumes stepped onto the stage to perform the traditional songs and dances of their countries and regions. The opening ceremony ended with a performance of a choir composed of all young people in attendance.

"The Cultural and Art Exchange Week is a place for youths to communicate with each other and move forward together," said Gao Zhiyong, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Beijing Municipality, in a speech at the opening.

The week will include performances, an art carnival, museum exhibitions and a tour of the city and the Bird's Nest stadium.

On Sunday and Monday, the international delegations held four performances and exhibited artworks in order to enhance cultural communication between different countries and regions.

During the week, the youth delegations will visit different art museums, science museums and tourists attractions in Beijing such as the Great Wall and the Summer Palace.