Chinese Xiao (a vertical bamboo flute) player Wang Jianxin (right) and Chinese zither player Li Fengyun (left) gave a lecture to Cambodian audiences on Chinese classical music. [Photo by Liu Fang / chinaculture.org]

"It was the first time that I was exposed to Chinese music, and I thought it was a good idea to have such introductory session to get a better idea what this music means and also the philosophy behind it," Marschall said.

In fact, the music exchanges between China and Cambodia could be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), where the famous Funanqu spread to Southeast Asia. Such cultural tie was deepened by the late King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, who is a culture and art zealot who wrote songs on the friendship between the two countries.

Lavenda, a Cambodia student who's studied Chinese for five years and studied in China's Tianjin city said he was happy to have seen the familiar instruments that he often sees in Chinese movies he loves - those set in the Three Kingdoms (AD 220-280) period.

"I especially like the song The Ambush From All Sides. It is a music that describes the famous battle that happened during the Three Kingdoms period. During the war, the prominent warlord Xiang Yu was surrounded by the opposing army, and the music brought me to the dire situation facing him 2,000 years ago."

"The China Culture Talk did help me get one step closer to the Chinese culture," Lavenda said.

The Chinese Culture Talks are a culture promotion activity organized by China's Ministry of Culture. The content varies from philosophy, religion, cultural heritage, literature and art, costume, cooking and Chinese medicine.