Activities held during the 2016 Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year have made Egyptians know more about China, not only as an economic power, but also a cultural power.[Photo/Xinhua]

The 2016 Chinese-Egyptian Culture Year drew to an end successfully as some 150 various kinds of cultural activities were held in both countries, which is seen as a breakthrough.

In January 2016, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in Cairo launched the 2016 Sino-Egyptian Culture Year which marks the 60th anniversary of joint diplomatic relations.

After upgrading the relations between the two countries to a "comprehensive strategic partnership," the culture year came to boost friendly ties and enhance mutual understanding and future development between the peoples of the two nations, whose relations have deep roots back in history.

Actually, marking 2016 as a culture year was the fruit of agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi during their meeting in Beijing in December 2014.

To highlight its importance, the opening ceremony of the culture year was attended by Xi and Sisi in the ancient city of Luxor in January 2016, as the two leaders vowed to boost cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

During the opening ceremony show, more than 200 elite performers from both countries staged a cultural dialogue; both have deep roots in their ancient civilizations.

"We achieved 'new high' in this culture year on the quality and quantity of the cultural activities we held," said Chen Dongyun, Head of the Chinese Culture Center and Cultural Councilor of the Chinese Embassy in Cairo.

"The show in Luxor was a big success, reflecting the new spirit of the two oldest civilizations in this new era," she stressed, referring to the opening show of the culture year.

Other activities, Chen said, also made Egyptians know more about China, not only as an economic power, but also a cultural power.