Xinjiang dancers at Crape Myrtle (Ziwei) Square, Beijing Garden Expo, on June 23. (chinadaily.com.cn)

The Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is known for its beautiful song and dance and, now, its unique form of folk art has amazed visitors at Beijing Garden Expo Park's Crape Myrtle (Ziwei) Square, on June 23.

A group of performers from the city of Hetian, were the curtain raisers for the Xinjiang Week activities with a wonderful ethnic dance at Garden expo.

There were 14 song and dance shows for different seasons, to give visitors a taste of the passion of the region's people and the richness of its culture and art.

One young visitor remarked, "So beautiful! Look at how skillful their neck and wrist movements are," while other visitors snapped photos of the performances with cameras and mobile phones.

Xun Lianzhong, a Beijing official for intellectual resource assistance in Xinjiang, commented, "Listen to this, it's a gevav, a plucked Uyghur instrument with a soft, mellifluous sound."

International Olympics Day occurred on the same day. It was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games, on June 23, 1894, and encourage participation in sport around the globe, regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.

Yang Ling, a Chinese shooter who won two gold medals at the Olympic Games, showed up at the Garden Expo Park to celebrate the festival with visitors while students from the Capital Physical Education Institute put on a special show. It conveyed a sense of energy and strength at the Beijing Garden Expo's Chrysanthemum Square, with a blend of martial arts with classical dance, and an excellent performance of both the traditional and modern.

Wu Guomin, the Party deputy secretary of Capital Physical Education Institute, said they called for a healthier lifestyle and greater sports participation.

The Garden Expo has six City Week activities, including individual ones for the cities of Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Jinan and 10 other cities will be hosting the same activity. There was also an Ordos Week recently to display Mongolia's own unique characteristics and special flavor.

The Garden Expo has 128 gardens from China and abroad that combine many elements that are common to Chinese parks and typical western garden features from the past and present, such as Lhasa Park, Urumqi Park, Haikou Park, Chongqing Park, a European-style Park, and an Islamic-style Park.

The traditional, but exotic flavor of these gardens and performances and the celebrations at the Garden Expo attracted more than one million visitors in less than 40 days, according to the organizing committee.