Chinese Embassy in collaboration with Pakistan National Council of Arts will celebrate Xinjiang cultural show to mark completion of 55 years of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
The week-long festival will be observed from May 20 to 27, first two days in Islamabad and the remaining days in Lahore with the exhibition of different cultural items depicting various dimensions of Xinjiang's culture, which is an autonomous province of China bordering Northern Areas of Pakistan.
A 33-member delegation from Xinjiang province has especially arrived in Islamabad to mark the over half a century long diplomatic relations.
The significant features of the cultural festival are ethnic dances, songs, screening of Chinese movies, television programmes, exhibition of photography and calligraphy works and handicrafts show. The ethnic costume show will give an insight to the people of Pakistan about Chinese culture, particularly of Xinjiang province.
Addressing a joint press conference, Minister for Culture Dr G.G. Jamal and Chinese delegation leader Qurban Yasin said that Pakistan and China enjoyed the God gifted binding of neighbourhood and the cultural event was part of a joint statement of February 21, issued during President Musharraf visit to Beijing, which emphasised upon further enhancing Pak-China strategic partnership, friendship and mutual co-operation.
The minister said, though the two countries enjoyed close relations in defence, trade and other strategic areas, yet the people-to-people contact was not that much satisfactory, for which there was a need to promote cultural exchanges.
He said that Pakistan and China were the custodians of the world's most primitive civilisations, nurtured on their respective soil since time immemorial.