Gulbanur Kurqak dances with her colleagues to welcome tourists in front of the customer service center of Pamir Tourist Area in Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sep 4, 2023. Photo:Xinhua

The first China Xinjiang Folk Art Season will be launched in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on August 20, presenting diverse folk artforms such as dance and theaters to cement singing and dancing as important cultural symbols of Xinjiang while strengthening the cultural bond among various ethnic groups.

During the folk art season themed "Play the tambourine and sing a song," there will be 53 teams with more than 1,700 folk artists from different regions and ethnic groups in the parade performances, according to Yu Jie, deputy director of Cultural and Tourism Department of Xinjiang, addressing a news conference in Beijing on Friday.

There will be four performances presented in Urumqi by the folk artists per day. Meanwhile, professional opera troupes will also brighten the event by virtue of an artistic feast involving some classic operas such as Kunqu The Peony Pavilion.

A string of cultural activities, including exhibitions regarding cultural creative products and fairs teeming with booths of diverse intangible cultural heritages, have been planned, Yu said. One of the major goals of the folk art event is to enable the public to better appreciate the charm of Xinjiang folk art, which will also include a host of interactive activities during the event.

An activity themed "experiencing Xinjiang's dance together" allows visitors to become more immersed in the region's unique singing and dancing.

The event is scheduled to run into 2025.

August represents the peak of the region's travel season, and cultural symbols such as the Duku Highway and the TV series My Altay have attracted wide attention from across the nation. Folk art is expected to provide even greater coverage for the region's beauty and ancient culture.

Global Times