‘One Moon over Mountains and Sea · Elegant Songs of One Heart’: 2026 Shenzhen–Kashgar Cultural Exchange Season Opens with a Mid-Autumn Gala

On 22 September, the launch of the 2026 Shenzhen–Kashgar Cultural Exchange Season and its Mid-Autumn Gala in National Style, ‘One Moon over Mountains and Sea · Elegant Songs of One Heart’, was held at the Starry Sky Theatre in East Lake Park. It was hosted by the Shenzhen Frontline Headquarters for Paired Assistance to Xinjiang, the Kashgar Municipal Party Committee and the Kashgar Municipal People’s Government, with the support of the Publicity Department of the Kashgar Municipal Party Committee, the municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism, and the municipal Education Bureau. Leaders from Kashgar Prefecture, the Guangdong and Shenzhen Frontline Headquarters for Paired Assistance to Xinjiang, and both Shenzhen and Kashgar attended.

The qilin dance of the White-Browed Qilin Troupe of Shatoujiao, Yantian, part of Shenzhen’s intangible cultural heritage, opened the evening in style: the qilin bringing good omens and blessings, wishes for a peaceful nation and bountiful years, and a symbol of Shenzhen and Kashgar building a shared dream through the ties of aid to Xinjiang. Many art forms took the stage, the refined grace of Lingnan and the splendour of the Silk Road shining side by side. The dance A Great River conveyed the vigour of the desert heartland; songs including Happy Xinjiang, My Home, Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies and The Moon Represents My Heart sang of the bond between Shenzhen and Kashgar; Spring River in the Moonlit Night and A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix showed the charm of Chinese culture; the Cantonese opera excerpt Liu Yi Delivers the Letter · Full Moon and Flowers in Bloom, the magic performance Magic Radiance, the dance The Drums of Little Balang and other acts followed one after another, and the closing song-and-dance A Hundred Flowers Blossom brought the evening to its climax.

Zou Zhangguo, chief director of the gala, said: ‘This gala brings together Kashgar’s ethnic song and dance, folk music and poetry recitation, building a stage on which artists from the two places perform together and exchange ideas. Shenzhen and Kashgar share one stage, singing of a friendship as deep as the mountains and the sea and dancing to a reunion of one heart. We want people of all ethnic groups to feel the unique charm of Chinese culture, and the bond between Shenzhen and Kashgar to grow ever closer.’

Kashgar resident Amina Abudukaha said: ‘Shenzhen’s qilin dance and Cantonese opera on the same stage as Kashgar’s ethnic dances: we could enjoy a gala of this standard right on our doorstep. It was a real feast for the eyes.’

Art as a bridge, culture to nourish the heart. In recent years Shenzhen’s aid to Xinjiang has steadily deepened its cultural work, encouraging artists from the two places to visit each other and create together, and cultural resources to flow in both directions. The dance The Drums of Little Balang, presented by the Wulehua Art Training Centre of Kashgar, appeared at the 2026 Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Macao Youth Dance Competition and won the Organising Committee’s Special Award, a vivid result of the two-way exchange between the arts of Shenzhen and Kashgar.

Audience members join the magic performance on stage. Photo: Reyiding Sulaiman

National Class-A Performer Ruxianguli Aibaidula gave back to her hometown with the magic performance Magic Radiance, passing the friendship of cultural exchange with Xinjiang from hand to hand among artists of the two places. ‘As an artist, I am deeply honoured to contribute my share to my hometown. I hope that in future more professional talent in acrobatics and magic will emerge here,’ said Ruxianguli Aibaidula.

Alongside the performance there was a Mid-Autumn garden fair: Cantonese mooncake tasting, Shenzhen specialty products, intangible-heritage and cultural-creative showcases from both places and displays of science and technology achievements, with lively games such as lantern riddles, pitch-pot and ring toss. Residents and visitors took in the charm of the cultural blend of Shenzhen and Kashgar amid the moonlight and the lanterns.

Wang Sanmei, head of Shenzhen Jiayong Inkstone Culture Co., Ltd., said: ‘This time we brought Shenzhen’s intangible-heritage inkstone works to Kashgar, and we are delighted that our friends in Kashgar love them. Cultural exchange between Shenzhen and Kashgar like this is truly meaningful; the trip was well worth it.’

‘During the day I toured Kashgar’s Old Town, took in the scenery and the culture, and watched a wonderful performance. In the evening I came to East Lake for all kinds of folk activities, and even guessed some lantern riddles. The Mid-Autumn atmosphere here is so rich that it feels like celebrating the festival at home,’ said Huang Yongsheng, a visitor from Shenzhen.

The Mid-Autumn gala ‘One Moon over Mountains and Sea · Elegant Songs of One Heart’ is the first event of the 2026 Shenzhen–Kashgar Cultural Exchange Season. This year’s season, themed ‘Deep Feelings for Kashgar · A Perfect Match in Art’, runs from September to November. Upgraded to a ‘2.0’ version of cultural exchange, it draws on Shenzhen’s resources in technology, ecology, cultural creativity and commerce, links them with Kashgar’s history, culture and distinctive industries, and will hold a series of events including Shenzhen–Kashgar ecological exchanges, an intangible-heritage fair, support for fruit farmers, a One Heart concert and youth dialogues. (Reporters of the Kashgar Municipal Media Centre: Liu Jiabao, Qin Qiqi, Reyiding Sulaiman)