As one important part of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the opening gala, Asian Culture Carnival, took place Wednesday night at Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, the venue of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. Let's check out some of the highlights.

A joyful gathering of people from the world's largest continent.

With the theme of "Celebration of Youth, Dream of Asia," the Asian Culture Carnival is a highlight of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations.

It features art performances and gala parties for young people from across Asia. The Carnival took over six months to prepare and one month to rehearse. Organizers built a stage of 15,000 square meters, the biggest in the history of the stadium.

YANG DONGSHENG, GENERAL DIRECTOR ASIAN CULTURE CARNIVAL "The time for us to prepare for the carnival is limited. It is a big challenge for us. The stage is the biggest that I have ever seen. We showcase different cultures of Asian countries, and we welcome friends from different countries to have some fun together with us."

Most of the performances are presented together by artists from different countries and regions, as well as Asian youth leaders and world-class artists.

More than 10-thousand singers from several Asian countries perform the theme song "Our Asia" at the event, bringing the music of Asia to the world.

XING SHIMIAO, DIRECTOR ASIAN CULTURE CARNIVAL "The only standard for us to choose every performance is whether it is splendid. The theme song expresses the wonderful cultures of different Asian nations. And all the songs and dances are created with the intention of cultural exchange. We catalogue the performances into different sections so that each section shows a topic. And for China, we present the Peking opera."

SHA XIAOLAN, GENERAL PRODUCER ASIAN CULTURE CARNIVAL "The scale of the carnival is the largest ever since the 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony. Thanks to upgraded hardware and technologies, it even surpasses that opening ceremony. We have to make sure all the performances are conducted safely."

The event also showcases innovations and state-of-the-art technology. The Carnival uses 52 units of automatically controlled wires to create three-dimensional images, giving the audience a glasses-free 3D experience. Meanwhile, virtual technology is also applied, providing advanced visual entertainment.