CAIRO: Chinese dancers are coming to Egypt. According to the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, a Chinese love story – in the form of a dance drama – on the Silk Road will be shown in Egypt and Qatar as part of China and the Arab world's continued cultural exchange efforts. The embassy said the drama, titled “The Moon Over the Helan Mountain” is based on northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region folklore and tells of the hardships of a group of Arab merchants. There is also a “moving” love story between a local Ningxia girl and one of the Arab merchants. It is 100-minutes long and will be shown at the Cairo Opera House on May 23 and 24, in Alexandria on May 26 before traveling to Qatar for a May 30 performance. Ding Yuping, deputy chief of the Yinchuan Art Troupe, said Monday in Cairo, that “the drama shows the harmonious coexistence and development between different cultures and the unity of various ethnic minority groups.” According to him, more than 30 different ethnic groups live in Ningxia, with Muslims accounting for about 35 percent of its population. China has been pushing into the Arab world in recent years and this is one of the first cultural projects in Egypt, after trade relations and diplomacy continues to rise. The embassy hopes that it will give Egyptians “a glimpse into the real China that is diverse and vast.” BM
