Artistes from China’s Zhejiang Province perform the traditional Lotus Dragon dance marking the opening of the Chinese Festival yesterday at Museum of Islamic Art Park. Pic: Baher Amin / The Peninsula
Traditional Chinese dance performances by artistes from China’s Zhejiang Province marked the opening of the Chinese Festival at the Museum of Islamic Art Park yesterday.
The opening event also showcased Haining shadow puppet play and Pingyang puppet show, which are to be performed throughout the four-day festival.
A key part of the Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture, the festival features a Chinese market, Chinese teahouse, food stalls, photography exhibition, cultural performances, film and children’s activities.
“We are very excited to host this dynamic festival that promotes an understanding, celebration and appreciation of Chinese culture, traditions and people, in Qatar. We hope to draw thousands of visitors to the festival to experience this unique event, ” said Mohammed Al Othman, Public and International Relations Director at Qatar Museums.
The festival is divided into different ‘zones’ including the entertainment zone which includes musical performances, traditional dances, Chinese tea ceremonies and calligraphy demonstrations. The exhibition zone showcases a photography exhibition featuring photos by four Chinese and two Qatari photographers, who went on a two-week expedition to each other’s countries. The market zone comprises arts and crafts activities including woodblock printing, rice sculpture and kite-making workshops and a puppet show. A variety of local and Chinese delicacies are also available at the venue.
The festival will open today and tomorrow from 2pm to 10pm and on Saturday from 10am to 10pm. The Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture, which will come to an end this December, consisted of numerous exhibitions and activities held in both Qatar and China including ‘What About the Art: Contemporary Art from China’, ‘Silks from the Silk Road – Chinese Silk Art’, Treasures of China exhibition, and Pearls: Treasures from the Seas and the Rivers, among others.
Qatar Airways is the official airline sponsor while the Shangri La Hotel group is the official hospitality sponsor.
