A Haibei-Shandong cultural exchange activity featuring traditional yet fresh morin khuur music, ancient and mysterious Tibetan opera performances, and pleasant folk songs was launched on Dec 2 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.

Around 70 performers from Haibei Tibetan autonomous prefecture, Northwest China's Qinghai province, performed for Shandong audiences.

The event, jointly organized by the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the People's Government of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, is designed to bring the people of Shandong and Haibei closer together and promote cultural diversity.

Performers from Haibei Tibetan autonomous prefecture perform on stage on Dec 2 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The two sides have strengthened ties in recent years, and Shandong has been supporting Haibei through its development process.

Li Guolin, an official from the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, said that Shandong has invested enormously in the construction of industrial and tourism facilities in Haibei and has trained many professionals for the prefecture.

Li said that Shandong has also organized many activities to promote tourism in Haibei.

A Haibei-Shandong cultural exchange activity is launched on Dec 2 in Jinan, capital of Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

An "aiding Qinghai" cultural and tourism alliance was recently established in Haibei. The alliance, initiated by the Shandong government and co-sponsored by the Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu governments, will help promote Qinghai's cultural and tourism development.

"We want to use this cultural exchange activity to share Haibei's cultural achievements with the people of Shandong and learn from Shandong's experiences," said Liu Baochun, deputy head of Haibei Tibetan autonomous prefecture government.

The Shandong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the People's Government of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture also signed a framework agreement on partner assistance and cooperation.

An exhibition highlighting Haibei's intangible cultural items is currently underway at the Shandong Museum. [Photo by Zhao Xiao/chinanews.com]

An exhibition highlighting Haibei's intangible cultural items is also currently underway at the Shandong Museum.

The cultural exchange activity will run until Dec 7 and will be held in Binzhou and Liaocheng.