Cuba is also marking the Lunar New Year. This year, for the first time, a Chinese touring company traveled to Havana to put on a gala show. Michael Voss has the details.  

Havana used to have one of the largest Chinatowns in Latin America. Their traditions still live on, and each year there are festivities to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year. This year, Cubans were also offered the opportunity to see some authentic acts. China was the guest nation of honor at the Havana international book fair and along with authors and publishers came a leading cultural ensemble.

CGTN caught up with the group during rehearsals. There are 24 musicians, singers, dancers and acrobats, all part of an international touring company from Shandong Province in eastern China.

WANG TINGQI ARTISTIC DIRECTOR "This is the first time for us in Cuba, and the Ministry of Culture placed great importance on the visit. So we picked the best artists and cover almost all styles. We want the people of Cuba to enjoy the performances."

There's a real mix of cultural styles on display, from classical Beijing Opera to one of the top-rated acrobatic troupe's in China. The gala performance took place over two nights at Havana's Grand Theater.

MICHAEL VOSS HAVANA "Acrobats have a universal appeal but opera, especially Chinese opera, is very much of an acquired taste. So what will Cuban audiences make of the show?"

The opera passage was from one of the classics, The Drunken Beauty, set more than a thousand years ago when a disappointed mistress gets drunk and sings of her love for the emperor.

There were modern acts including acrobatic jugglers. Cubans are passionate about ballet and the Shandong dance company helped east meet west with their performance entitled, "Rainy Urban Alley." Of all the acts, though, it was the acrobats who proved the most popular. Michael Voss, CGTN, Havana.