A Tibetan troupe conquered the audience at the People's Theater in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, Sunday evening with their earthy, unique performance.

As the opening performance of the "2005 China Tibetan Culture Week," the singing and dancing show named "My Fantastic Homeland" attracted an audience of around 600.

Against a backcloth featuring the Potala Palace and snow-capped mountains, more than 30 dancers from the Qamdo Ethnic Song and Dance Troupe of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) showcased the colorful tradition of their ethnic group in the performance that lasted about two hours.

The opening show of the China Tibetan Culture Week, sponsored by the China International Culture Association, the Foreign Cultural Exchange Association of the TAR, and the Friendship Association Denmark-China, was a success, said former Lord Chamberlain Ian Soeren Haslund-Christensen.

It was good to see that the show mixed the old and modern art expressions seamlessly, from which the audience could have a glimpse of the Buddhism tradition in Tibet, he said.

Karoline Kjeldsen, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Culture, said the show was visually easy to understand, though the monolog between scenes was in Tibetan.

"Without the simultaneous display of translation on the screen beside the stage, I could still understand it," Kjeldsen said.

"The costume and the drum dance are so marvelous, and I have never seen such a performance," she added.

Julie Brink, chairperson of the Friendship Association Denmark-China, said: " Solid and sober information and facts are badly needed " for people to know about Tibet.

Brink, who visited Tibet in 2002, said she would often meet with questions on conditions on the snow land whenever she talks about China with others, adding that sincere exchanges could help promote understanding.

The culture week, she said, was an encouraging initiative.

Phuchong, vice chairman of the Foreign Cultural Exchange Association of TAR, said in a speech before the show that he hoped the culture week can help Danish people better understand Tibet and Tibetan culture and promote exchanges between Denmark and China.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Svend Auken, first vice president of the Parliament of Denmark, sent a message of congratulation to the culture week, saying Danish people "take great interest in all things Tibetan."

An exhibition of photos and Thangka, or traditional Tibetan painting, is also being held at the hall of the theater.

Tibetologists and living Buddhas from the TAR will have exchanges with researchers with the Nordic Institute of Asia Studies, which is based in Copenhagen, during the culture week.

Editor: Wing