Egypt-China Cultural Ties: Exchange initiative sees opera star Yao Hong perform in Cairo

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The Cairo Opera House has hosted popular Chinese opera star Yao Hong. Her appearance is part of a cultural exchange programme between Egypt and China. Adel EL Mahrouky has more.

ADEL EL MAHROUKY CAIRO, EGYPT "Opera lovers in Cairo are gathering here at the Cairo Opera House for a unique event. It's called Sound of the Nile, an Egyptian Chinese collaboration that is starring Chinese Soprano Yao Hong."

The performance is part of a series of events the Cairo Opera House and the Chinese Cultural Centre in Cairo periodically present to arts fans in the Egyptian capital.

MAGDY SABER CHAIRPERSON, CAIRO OPERA HOUSE "We've been presenting this mixture of cultures for long, part of our cooperation with the Chinese culture center here. They are close friends of our opera. The Sound of the Nile is built on the vocal power of Egyptian and Chinese singers, only supported by a pianist. It emphasizes of the beauty of the voices of these artists."

Taking turns on the stage, stars of China's National Opera House and Cairo's presented a selection of the most beloved worldwide opera music. China's popular soprano Yao Hong amazed the audience here. The opera star is a first-grade national actress. She won numerous national and international awards for her exquisite performances and great talent.

"I really enjoyed the Chinese performance, especially the woman in red, she was absolutely fantastic. The Egyptians also performed well. It's something special, something different -- duets from Egypt and China. I've never seen something like this before, so it's very interesting."

She's also the deputy chairman of China National Opera House. The famous Chinese star says she was excited to stand on the stage of the famous Cairo Opera house.

YAO HONG SOLOIST, CHINA NATIONAL OPERA HOUSE "It's always an honour for me to be here. This is my third time performing in Egypt. My first was in 2010, and then again in 2016, during the Egyptian-Chinese Culture year. It's a great pleasure to be part of the team bringing two nations like Egypt and China closer together."

Chinese Pianist Li Ding and British Pianists David Hales, have enriched the dazzling performances of the soloists. As the 2018 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation approaches, cultural cooperation between China and African nations intensifies.

A similar Egyptian Chinese opera performance will take this unique experience to China by the end of August.

Adel EL Mahrouky, CGTN, Cairo.