The 11th China International Folk Arts Festival kicked off on Aug 23 in Hohhot, North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, with excellent performances in the opening ceremony by over 600 artists from 13 countries.

The opening show was an ensemble of the iconic Mongolian horse-head fiddle with traditional Mongolian dances, to welcome overseas artists. Audiences enjoyed various performances such as Chinese acrobatics, Brazilian Capoeira dance, Russian dance and South Korean drum show.

The festival will last until Aug 28, with colorful activities such as a photo exhibition capturing the changes in Hohhot over the past years. Troupes from home and abroad will perform in rural Hohhot.

Organized by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the large-scale international folk art exchange activity is held every three years, with over 3,000 overseas artists from 65 countries coming to China until now. It's an essential platform for artists from home and abroad to exchange views with each other and boost mutual understandings.

Li Qian'guang, vice-president of the federation, said the diversified folk art is precious culture heritage of human beings, and such culture will be further developed via communication and mutual learning.