The 14th Cultural and Arts Festivalof Countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin opened on October 28 in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. Chinese and foreign artists from the Lancang-Mekong Basin gathered together, taking culture and art as a bond to renew friendship and boost exchanges.

That night, the Mandou Royal Garden Theatre in Jinghong was alive with song and dance. At the opening ceremony gala themed “Sharing the Same River, We Are One Family”, distinctive performances from Lancang-Mekong countries took the stage one after another, presenting the audience with an artistic feast of diverse cultural integration. Towards the end of the gala, Chinese and foreign performers jointly staged the song and dance Fly Together, conveying the aspiration of people from the six Lancang-Mekong countries to forge ahead hand in hand and build a brighter future.

During the festival, a host of side events will also be held, including the Xishuangbanna International Photography Exhibition “One Great River”, the Lancang-Mekong Goodies Carnival, and the Elegant Gathering: Harmony of Tea and Melody, to further advance people-to-people exchanges and cultural-tourism cooperation among countries along the basin.

TheCultural and Arts Festivalof Countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin originated from the Cultural and Arts Festivalin Border RegionsofSix Countriesin the Lancang-MekongRiver Basin, which was launched in 1992. It was officially renamed to its current title in 2011. With more than 30 years of development, the festival has grown into an important platform for countries in the basin to showcase their diverse cultures, promote mutual learning among civilizations and strengthen people-to-people friendship.