Asia Art Festival opens in Kunming

The 13th Asia Art Festival kicked off on Nov 18 in Kunming, capital city of Yunnan province. The festival is co-organized by the Department of Culture of Yunnan province and the Kunming government. It is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the people's government of Yunnan province.

Themed "A Charming Asia, A Time-Honored China and a Beautiful Yunnan", more than 11 Asian countries have come to participate in the art festival at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. The countries include Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal and North Korea. Representatives and ambassadors for many Asian countries and international organizations are also attending the festival.

The art festival plans to hold seven major events: one opening ceremony, one stage show, two forums (the first Asian Librarian Forum and second Asian Culture Forum), two exhibitions (the Embassy Art Collection Exhibition and North Korea Oil Painting Show) and a series of cultural performances.

The festival is becoming more international with ethnic cultural elements. The festival's duration has been shortened, and its costs have been reduced. The cancellation of the closing ceremony has helped bring down the art festival's expenses.

The art festival is the only regional art festival approved by the State Council. It was first held in Beijing in 1998. The event has been held 13 times in different cities in China. More than 300 art groups from 26 Asian countries and hundreds of millions of visitors have participated in the festival over the years.