Distinctive Tibetan dances and singing will take place this week at the Expo as Tibet Culture Week began yesterday.

  performance at the ceremony

The week will also include traditional Tibetan medicines, Tibetan calligraphy and Tangkha paintings.

More than 400 Tibetan artists spent more than 50 hours on a train in order to perform at the World Expo through Sunday.

The performances and exhibitions showcase typical Tibetan culture involving both professional and folk artists, said Zhang Zhizhong, director of the Arts Department of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

One of the highlights of the week is the percussion performance by 120 peasants. They will each play a waist drum.

What makes the performance truly special is that these peasants have never before left their hometown of Gongga, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see the drumming, said Jiang Bai Jia Cuo, director of the performance.

They play the drums with two whips while dancing. They bow and turn swiftly to strike the drums, which they wear around their waist.