Ahead of China's Mid-Autumn Festival, Cairo welcomed the "Moonlit Harmony: Beauty Shared in the Moment" Guangdong Culture and Tourism Overseas Tour on September 20–21. It provided local audiences with an immersive taste of Lingnan culture through music, dance, crafts, and festive traditions.
The two-day event featured stage performances that combined Yingge dance, lion dance, martial arts, folk songs, and ethnic dances. A highlight came when Guangdong's Nanfang Singing and Dancing Troupe performed the Arabic classic Eslamy Ya Misr ("Peace Be Upon You, Egypt"), prompting a spontaneous singalong and enthusiastic applause from the Egyptian audience.
The Mid-Autumn season added to the festive atmosphere. Visitors participated in hands-on workshops, including Foshan paper-cutting, lantern-making, Choy Li Fut martial arts demonstrations, and incense culture. The activities allowed Egyptian guests to engage directly with Guangdong's traditions and were warmly received. The event drew nearly 500 participants, including Hamdi Sitoohi, Assistant Minister of Culture of Egypt; Essam Sharaf, former Prime Minister of Egypt; as well as representatives from cultural institutions, tourism enterprises, and the general public.
Earlier, on September 18–19, the Nanfang Singing and Dancing Troupe also represented China at the 9th China-Africa Arts Festival, where their Yingge-inspired performance Face Mask received enthusiastic acclaim.
By focusing on cultural exchange, the event offered Cairo audiences a chance to experience the colors, sounds, and traditions of Lingnan culture. With Mid-Autumn themes as a bridge, the program created moments of joy and connection, bringing Chinese and Egyptian people closer together under the same moonlit sky.
Reporter: Li Fangwang
Photo: Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province
Editor: Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
