In the coastal city of Quanzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, the 4th Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival was held from November 22 to 27. It is a biennial festival since 2015. 

More than 1,200 artists and 130 cultural organizations from over 50 countries and regions gathered at the festival and brought performances with distinctive features. Forums on art development and exhibitions of intangible cultural heritages of the Maritime Silk Road taking place simultaneously. 

Various projects during the festival

The 6th Quanzhou International Puppet Show was held during the Arts Festival, according to its official website, a group of 10 performance teams from Europe and Asia and 19 domestic groups put on various hand puppets, rod puppets, and marionettes. 

There are other projects such as the Belt and Road Art Show Week and the 6th Maritime Silk Road Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition. 

Ancient Maritime Silk Road 

The host city, Quanzhou, is widely believed to be the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road, and is also honored as one of the "Chinese Brand Cities That Move the World."

The Maritime Silk Road has a long history and flourished between the 2nd century B.C. and 15th century. It served as a seaway for ancient China to trade and have cultural exchange activities with foreign countries. It is one of the oldest sea routes so far. And the Maritime Silk Road Arts Festival continues to complete the mission of promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. 

According to Xinhua News Agency, Wang Xudong, director of the Palace Museum, addressed the opening ceremony of the festival. He said the festival has grown into an important platform for sharing the best of cultures, promoting cultural cooperation among countries and regions, and strengthening people-to-people connectivity.

(Cover image designed by Gao Hongmei)