To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, practice the China-CEEC cultural exchange mechanism, and advance Beijing’s efforts to build itself into an international exchange center and a national cultural center, the third China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival kicked off at the 08 Square in Chaoyang Park, Beijing, on the afternoon of October 20, 2023. 

Jiang Yu, special representative of China’s Foreign Ministry for China-CEEC Cooperation, Pang Wei, grade-one counsel of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Yang Beibei, vice mayor of Beijing’s Chaoyang District, Alenka Suhadolnik, Slovenian ambassador to China, and Jelena Nikolic, Minister Counsellor at the Serbian Embassy in China, attended the opening ceremony of the event, alongside some 40 representatives and scholars from 12 countries including Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Greece, Croatia, North Macedonia, France, Portugal, Georgia and the Netherlands. Art troupes such as the Balkanopolis from Serbia, Tsvetnitsa, a folk ensemble troupe from Bulgaria, the Wild Strings Trio from Slovenia and Slovakia and Beijing-based band A-Play presented stunning performances at the opening ceremony. 

Pang Wei, grade-one counsel of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

Yang Beibei, vice mayor of Beijing’s Chaoyang District, addressed the opening ceremony.

Ms. Alenka Suhadolnik, Slovenian ambassador to China, addresses the opening ceremony. 

Distinguished guests from China and abroad launch the third China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival. 

The Balkanopolis from Serbia performs the Serbian song “Song of Water” and sings the song “Ah! Bye, Dear Friends” in Chinese. 

Tsvetnitsa, a folk ensemble troupe from Bulgaria performs a Bulgarian folk dance. 

The Wild Strings Trio from Slovenia, Slovakia

and France performs Jazz music. 

Beijing-based band A-Play in performance. 

Chinese and foreign distinguished guests communicate and take photos with each other. 

Nearly 10,000 visitors enjoyed the intangible cultural heritage interactive experiencing, handicraft exhibitions, tourism promotion, book displays, red wine tasting, daily chemical products exhibitions, and other activities organized by the embassies and cultural centers of Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) in Beijing. They also tasted Mediterranean cuisine from Greece, Czech Pilzeň, Bulgarian rose drink, Polish-style sausage, Croatian wine and other exotic delicacies at the food carnival, and experienced the unique style and charm of Central and Eastern Europe up-close. Beijing's international communities and internet celebrities also came to check in, making the event not only a hot topic for citizens but also a hot spot for media coverage this weekend. The event served as a bridge of friendship to promote China-CEEC people-to-people exchanges and ties.

The opening ceremony of the third China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival.

The event has been included in the 2023 Liangma River International Arts Festival. Art troupes from nine Central and Eastern European countries, including Serbia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Croatia, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary, were invited to perform in Beijing. Besides, Beijing’s art troupes, intangible heritage inheritors, food stalls, and trendy bloggers also participated in the event. The carnival lasted three days from October 20 to 22. During the three-day event, a variety of activities such as theatrical performances, cultural exhibitions, food markets, tourism promotions, intangible cultural heritage experiencing, creative markets, and interactive entertainments were staged one after another. As a public welfare activity, the carnival was open to the public free of charge and carried out in the form of a combination of offline activities and online livesteaming to create an IP demonstration project combining culture and tourism.

As a national cultural center and international exchange center, Beijing is a window to the outside world to display a credible, admirable and respectable image of China. During the event, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center, and Chaoyang District Bureau of Culture and Tourism also carried out activities to promote the profound historical heritage and rich tourism resources of Beijing and Chaoyang District.

This year's China-CEEC Culture & Arts Carnival was co-sponsored by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism and Beijing Chaoyang District People's Government and co-organized by Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center and Chaoyang District Bureau of Culture and Tourism under the guidance of the Secretariat for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also received strong support from embassies and cultural centers of Central and Eastern European countries in Beijing, as well as other relevant institutions. During the event, foreign artists were organized to participate in a variety of exchange activities such as "Beijing International Intangible Cultural Heritage Week" and "Peking Opera Culture Tour", making artists from Central and Eastern European countries understand and fall in love with Beijing and return home with great satisfaction.