MOSCOW, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russians got an opportunity to immerse themselves in the Chinese culture during the China Festival held over the past weekend in Moscow's landmark Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNH).

The two-day China Festival, starting Saturday, aimed to celebrate the 70th anniversary both of the founding of the People's Republic of China and of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations.

Dozens of Chinese delegations from various regions and at different levels performed Peking Opera, folk songs, traditional musical instruments, kung fu, dragon dance, calligraphy and cooking among others.

Freshman Anya Leonova from the Russian Foreign Trade Academy stood in a crowd of audience smiling, mesmerized in a love song performed by a young duo from northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Holding in hands a piece of paper with her first name written in Chinese calligraphy, Leonova said she is learning Chinese in college because she is fascinated by the Chinese culture.

A group of Russians dressed in white Taoist robes performed Wudang martial arts and received rounds of loud applause.

A Muscovite who called himself Anton has practiced Wudang martial arts for more than 10 years, and now he, as a teacher, is passing down what he has learned from his Chinese master to his compatriots.

Russian audience shouted "Hooray!" and "Bravo!" when Chinese artists performed the famous Russian song Kalinka with traditional Chinese instrument guzheng.

"It made me feel warm on the inside to see that Russians performed kung fu and Chinese played our music. People from both countries feel they are closer," said a Moscow resident who identified himself as Sergei, adding that the Chinese culture is so interesting that he always wants to know more.

People waited in long lines outside several booths to get a taste of Chinese food, and children painted colors for lovely panda drawings.

When the night fell, four giant lanterns made in southwest China's Sichuan province lit up the square in front of the Cosmonautics and Aviation Center of the VDNH. Visitors queued up to take photos with the lanterns.

The China Festival was initiated by the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and supported by the Chinese Embassy, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and other government bodies and organizations from both countries.

Russia and China have profound cultures and the China Festival could serve as a platform for ordinary people to know each other better, said Sergei Luzyanin, director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies.

Gong Jiajia, cultural attache at the Chinese Embassy in Russia, said the display of the Chinese culture in various forms is conducive to greater friendship between the two peoples. Enditem

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