A dancer performs at the opening ceremony of the Baoshan International Folk Arts Festival in Shanghai yesterday. The festival has attracted more than 1,900 artists from home and abroad and over the next week, more than 410 people from 18 countries and regions will participate in free performances across the Baoshan District and other parts of the city. The festival was first organized in 1995 with the aim of developing international cultural exchanges. So far, 68 art groups from 37 countries and regions have appeared on the stage in Baoshan. -Shanghai Daily