Cultural show highlights Beijing's growing multi-racial outlook

What do handbags, food, and art share in common? Culture, one might suggest. And when you gather these from more than 30 countries, one compound is hardly enough to hold a heritage.  

For people who live in Beijing, Saturday, September 24 was a day for celebration of cultural diversity at the third Chinese and Foreign Culture Show.

Featuring exhibition by families of diplomats and foreign nationals residing in Bejijing diplomatic residence compounds, the cultural show had a tad too much to showcase.

This year's cultural show, now in its third year, was hosted by the diplomatic residence compound of Liangmaqiao in Chaoyang District.

As hundreds of people kept pouring into the compound, all the corners of the gated compound quickly turned into a bright display of colour and fashion. 

The Beijing Housing Corporation, which provides accommodation for growing numbers foreign nationals, started the cultural show as a way to promote unity and cultural exchanges.

Chinese art works, cuisine and ceramics were on display alongside traditional outfit, music and ornaments from countries in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas.

Visitors had their pulse checked at a stall offering free health check-up using the ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine and also took time to practice ancient Chinese art on steel plates.

Beyond just exchanging pleasantries, diplomats, their families and residents of Beijing had a moment to interact and know one another, with a blend of music in the background.

For children, the cultural show is a time to play together, irrespective of one's race or colour. A highlight of the exhibition was sampling of meals and snacks from a wide range of countries.

The Ugandan ‘Rolex' was nowhere on the stands but chocolates made in Ghana, buns from Sudan, Italian pizza and Chinese dumplings were in plenty.

Home to over 21 million residents, Beijing is not only the political, cultural and economic nerve centre of China but also one of its most cosmopolitan cities.