MUSCAT, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- An acoustic band from China's Guangxi province staged on Wednesday evening an exhibition of traditional Chinese folklore in the "Muscat festival," which will last from Jan. 8 to Feb. 9.
The Chinese band will continue to perform their performances over a period of a week in the Omani capital Muscat, including public parks, hotels and malls.
The show included games with acrobatics, acrobats and circuses, artistic and lyrical passages, and popular dance performances. The amazing skills of the band were also reviewed.
"We were very happy with the show, it was wonderful and dazzled us all in terms of performance, lightness and speed of movements," said Joackhah Al-Sanani, one of the attendees of the show.
"We have seen a number of acrobatic performances based on the flexibility of the body with supernatural abilities to control themselves," said Mohammed Abdul-Samaie, an Egyptian living in Oman.
"It has been a great opportunity for us to see and learn more about the cultural and artistic heritage that characterizes it," said Noureddine Hamdi-Tounsi, a resident.
Li Zhu, the band's manager, said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua that "our division is one of China's oldest traditional art groups, especially in Guangxi. It has a long history of more than 60 years."
The group has 23 members and is known as the most professional acrobatics team in Guangxi. Due to its fame, it has performed in more than 40 countries around the world and has played vital roles in the cultural exchange between China and the countries, Li said.
The most important feature of the band is that most of the folkloric paintings and performances are music-driven, aiming at cultural exchanges and promotion of Chinese national art, and bridges of intellectual cooperation with the various countries of the world they visit, Li added.
Ali Al-Hassani, director of Information at Muscat Municipality, also an organizer of the festival, said that "the festival is keen to host many different groups from different countries around the world in order to ensure diversity in its activities for its Omani citizens, residents and visitors coming from abroad.
Al-Hassani stressed that China is a country with an ancient civilization and rich in its heritage, culture and arts.
"So we are keen every year to host some of the Chinese teams," Al-Hassani said.
The "Muscat Festival," which is held at its 21st session, is a comprehensive social, cultural and sporting event that is held every year for a month.
It also focuses on heritage events that highlight ancient Omani heritage, traditional crafts and folk arts.
