Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Egypt from Jan 20 to 22, 2016. The Chinese Ministry of Culture and its Egyptian partners jointly hosted the 2016 China-Egypt Cultural Year to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties.

President Xi Jinping and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi watched the Two Great Civilizations: Dialogue produced by China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG) on the evening of Jan 21. Chinese and Egyptian performers highlighted their ancient yet unique cultures on stage at a square of the 3,400-year-old Luxor Temple. The performance displayed the grand exchange and dialogue between the two ancient civilizations through time and space.

Luxor Temple is a symbol of the splendid ancient civilization of Egypt. This was the first time the opening performance has been held at the Luxor Temple, demonstrating the great courtesy given by the Egyptian government and people to the Chinese leaders and their profound feelings toward the Chinese people.

The culture ministers of the two countries, Luo Shugang and Helmy al-Namnam, started the Culture Year with a special ceremony called "China Red Illuminates Luxor Temple". After the performance, the two heads of state cordially met with Chinese and Egyptian artists and congratulated them. The successful opening of the 2016 China-Egypt Cultural Year has opened a brilliant chapter for the history of China-Egypt friendship.