Despite the ongoing tensions between China and the US, a cultural festival kicked off in Washington DC, on Saturday, fostering new opportunities for people from diverse cultures to learn from each other and build connections.

At the 22nd Washington Chinese Cultural Festival, the crowd erupted in cheers many times during the lion dance performances. The traditional dance, performed by two people, surprised many attendees as they saw, for the first time, a non-Chinese person under the lion's head.

The dancer, Anaje Kilpatrick, an African American, has been practicing Chinese kung fu for six or seven years. "I started with Tai Chi. Then I joined Wong People at the Chinese Cultural Center in Chinatown, where I began learning kung fu. Since lion dance incorporates many kung fu stances, that's how I got into it, and I love it. Ever since then, I just never stopped," Kilpatrick told China Daily. "It's a great opportunity to engage with the community and showcase what I love to do."

Kilpatrick emphasized the community spirit in Washington DC, saying "We have all different types of races here. At first, people are surprised when they see us under the lion, but they tend to love us after a while."

The festival showed how Chinese kung fu has brought together people of various races and backgrounds. "Tai Chi has made a big difference in my exercise routine," Terri Gregory told China Daily. She has been practicing Tai Chi with her Chinese master for a year. She and her kung fu peers performed Tai Chi at the festival, and she said that Tai Chi has strengthened her internally.

"The group we practice with is very diverse. It's not just Chinese. We have people from South Korea, African Americans, and more. It's a community center where everyone is mixed together," Gregory said.

"It is much easier to judge each other than it is to take the effort to understand each other. But if we do not understand each other, then that leaves open room for miscalculation and even error," Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council, said at the opening ceremony of the festival.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng and Guyana's Ambassador to the United States Samuel Hinds also attended the festival. US President Joe Biden and Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser sent letters of congratulations to the festival.

The Washington Chinese Cultural Festival, started in 1999 by the Greater Washington Chinese American Community, has become a major event in the DC area. The festival showcased a variety of performances, including lion dances, vocal shows, musical recitals, martial arts, and acrobatics. It also offers cultural exhibits and interactive activities like calligraphy, Chinese painting, theater, tea ceremonies, and culinary displays.

Meanwhile, as China strives to lure foreign tourists to the country, the southwestern province of Guizhou is taking it one step further by coming to the US capital to promote its tourism.

Guizhou, a place that in 2016 earned a place in the New York Times list of top "52 places to go," showed up at the Washington Chinese Cultural Festival on Saturday.

"We are showing the different minorities of Guizhou. There's Miao (people), and there's Dong (people). And there's all the drawings and the figurines, and they all represent 1 of the 17 minorities in Guizhou," Nafisa Rustan, a volunteer working at Guizhou's workshop of ethnic groups, told China Daily.

"Different cultures have really interested me because I'm also part of a minority, and I just like learning about other minorities and where they come from and how they are today," said Rustan. "And I think it's also really awesome sharing the culture of the Chinese."

At the event, five workshops showcased the rich cultural heritage of Guizhou, including traditional batik, ethnic clothing, tea, and a photo exhibition showcasing Guizhou's scenic beauty.

"The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Everyone is saying that if they visit China, they must go to Guizhou. Many people are familiar with Beijing and Shanghai, but when it comes to Guizhou, it's often unknown to foreigners. Yet, Guizhou is incredibly beautiful and deserves to be known by more people," Zou Ying, a volunteer at one of the Guizhou workshops, told China Daily.

Nicole He, an event attendee, shared her surprise at seeing Guizhou's traditional batik art in person. "I had seen a documentary about Guizhou's batik on TV, but I never expected to encounter it here. The colors in batik aren't always easy to get right on the first try. You need to understand the process and work on it for a long time. These materials are rare, so I was amazed to see them here in DC," she told China Daily.

The most common feedback from visitors about the Guizhou workshops was that they were "very unique." The opportunity to witness authentic culture brought to Washington DC, excited many foreign guests, Maggie Wu told China Daily.

It was a great platform for showcasing Chinese culture, said Wu. Foreign visitors expressed their amazement, with many asking when there would be more Guizhou workshops where they could learn these crafts, or if there were any websites where they could purchase the items, she said.

"We also introduced them to the natural beauty of Guizhou. Some of them were very interested and asked detailed questions about the pricing and itinerary of travel tours to Guizhou," Wu said.