As an essential part of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the Asian Culture Carnival kicked off Wednesday night at Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, the venue of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

You may also be interested in All the highlights from the Asian Culture Carnival.

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.

"The time for us to prepare for the carnival was limited. It was 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," said Yang Dongsheng, general director of the Asian Culture Carnival.

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

More than 10,000 singers from several Asian countries performed the theme song "Our Asia" at the event, bringing the music of Asia to the world.

"The only standard for us to choose every performance is whether it is splendid. The theme song expressed the diverse cultures of different Asian nations, while all the songs and dances were created with the intention of cultural exchange. We catalog the performances into different sections so that each section shows a topic. And for China, we present the Peking opera," said director Xing Shimiao.

According to Sha Xiaolan, general producer of the 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," Sha said.

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.