Chinese art performance held in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Art troupes from two Chinese universities gave an art performance in the Nepali capital on Wednesday evening to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.

Folk music ensembles, dances, male and female solos and Erhu solo featured the "Crossing Himalaya: Chinese Art Performance" by artists from East China University of Technology and Qinghai Nationalities University, which are co-building the Confucius Institute at Tribhuvan University based in Kathmandu.

Some spectators echoed to the beats of Wild Dance at the Festival and Mountain Climbing in the Spring, the two folk-music ensemble pieces, while Horse Racing, a solo piece played with the traditional Chinese stringed instrument Erhu, drew frequent applauses and cheers from the audience.

Pradhan Neera recorded "each and every moment" of the performance with her mobile phone for friends not present for the "amazing, wonderful" show, which she said included dances and songs from different provinces of China.

The Chinese national day falls on Oct. 1, while the Mid-Autumn Festival is on Sept. 17 this year, a time when families gather together, share mooncakes and view the full moon.

Indira Rana, deputy speaker of Nepal's House of Representatives, spoke of similar cultural elements and traditions between Nepal and China, noting that the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated as well in some Southeast Asian countries.

The art performance was held with a view to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Nepal and strengthening the friendship between the peoples as well, according to the organizers.

Cultural and educational cooperation is an important part of China-Nepal relations, carrying mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples and a bright future for friendship between the neighbors, said Wang Xin, charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.