Artists perform dragon and lion dances during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

FRANKFURT, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- As four singers with headsets walked out of the crowd and onto the stage, the beautiful melody of the Chinese song My Motherland and Me stirred excitement among overseas Chinese on site and caught the attention of many passers-by.

The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals.

Decorated with Chinese dragons and red lanterns, the main stage will put on more than 70 performances until Sunday evening. Surrounding it are tents and booths where people could find authentic Chinese snacks and Chinese cultural associations and groups they might take interest in.

In one of the tents, folk artist Dai Wulin was showcasing sugar painting. His hands deftly danced on a metal surface and before long the shape of a dog was completed using hot sugar liquid. Dai attached a stick to the hardened sugar dog and handed it to one customer.

"In less than an hour, we had sold about 10 such works," Dai said, who has been invited to fly from east China's Jiangsu to Germany to attend the event.

Not far away from Dai's booth, a group of young girls were busy preparing for a kungfu show. One German performer, 19-year-old Alessia, has been learning Chinese kungfu for two years. It all started with her seeing a Chinese kungfu video online that "was jaw-droppingly beautiful," she recalled.

She now goes to four kungfu sessions every week, and stretches for an hour as a daily routine. "I have always wanted to go to China, to see the Shaolin Temple. This is a good event for cultural exchange," she said.

Alessia and her peers will be presenting Shaolin fists and swords to the audience, said her coach, Shi Yanbing, from Frankfurt Shaolin Martial Arts Center. "For the five-minute show we have prepared for three whole weeks," he said.

The weekend-long event features not only Chinese traditional arts such as kungfu and Peking Opera, but also modern dances, bands and even a DJ show, presented by both the local Chinese and German communities.

At the opening ceremony, Lu Qizhi, Chinese Deputy Consul General in Frankfurt, said the local Chinese community has striven and made an important contribution in the local society, as well as put great effort into presenting the Chinese culture. "Today's Chinafest is again a good example of such efforts," he said.

Claus Moebius, representative from the local government, said the 12,000 Chinese living in Frankfurt are an important part of this international city. In recent years, they also started to see more and more Chinese tourists visit the city.

It is hoped that locals and visitors in Frankfurt will take the opportunity of the festival to learn more about and fall in love with this fascinating country, Moebius said.

A woman holds a Chinese traditional oil-paper umbrella during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

An artist dances during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

People select Chinese traditional sachets during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

A girl performs Peking opera during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

A girl tastes Chinese traditional snack sugar painting during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

A girl performs Peking opera during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

A girl from a local dance school dances during the first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Aug. 30, 2019. The first Frankfurt Chinese art and cultural festival, or "Frankfurt Chinafest", kicked off on Friday afternoon in the city center, with the purpose to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China as well as to provide numerous cultural exchange experiences for tourists and locals. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)