Myanmar International TV reported that the 14th Culture and Art Festival of Countries in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin opened on October 28 in Jinghong city within Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. The gathering featured artists from China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia who presented traditional dances and songs during the opening gala. A Xinhua News Agency dispatch added that the evening included a Lao dance called Kassanu Duet and Luang Prabang Duet along with a Myanmar performance of Mingalaba and a Vietnamese piece titled River Return. The program closed with all participants joining in a song titled Flying Together to express hopes for a shared future.
The broadcaster described the Cultural Exchange Program known as Culture and Art Festival of LMC countries as a platform that promotes mutual understanding and friendship among the six Lancang-Mekong member states. Such events also work to strengthen peace and lay groundwork for deeper future cooperation throughout the river basin region. Organizers selected the theme of sharing the same river water and being one family to underscore the bonds linking the participating nations.
A series of side activities will accompany the main festival program over the coming days. These include the One Big River Xishuangbanna international photography exhibition, the Lancang-Mekong goods carnival and tea-music harmony performances that further encourage cultural and tourism ties. The combination of events is designed to expand people-to-people contacts beyond the opening gala and allow broader participation from residents and visitors in Yunnan.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the festival first launched in 1992 under the name Lancang-Mekong Six Border Countries Cultural and Art Festival before receiving its current title in 2011. More than three decades of annual editions have transformed the gathering into a recognized venue for showcasing diverse traditions, encouraging mutual learning among civilizations and building grassroots friendships. The evolution reflects growing emphasis on cultural diplomacy within the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation framework.
New Guangdong news service noted that Xishuangbanna’s location makes it a natural host because the prefecture borders Laos and Myanmar while lying near Thailand and Vietnam. The area is also home to many of China’s ethnic minority groups whose customs overlap with those across the river basin. This geographic and demographic profile positions the site as a practical hub for the six-country cultural program.
Comparable cultural initiatives under the Lancang-Mekong umbrella have taken place in recent years including youth painting camps in Myanmar and art design awards focused on green energy themes. Those programs similarly brought together young creators from the six nations to collaborate on projects that preserve heritage while addressing contemporary issues. The current festival continues this pattern by emphasizing artistic exchange as a foundation for sustained regional partnership.
