The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is now in full swing and over the next few weeks more than 3,500 performers from almost 60 countries will showcase what is billed as the world's greatest celebration of art and culture.

This year's theme is 'The Rituals Which Bind Us' and for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic a Chinese music and dance troupe is performing in the Scottish capital. The 'Elegance and Charm of Art' show features 30 dancers and musicians from the Shanghai Yuguo Art Troupe, all aged between nine and 15.

Speaking at the opening ceremony at the 600-seat Pentland Auditorium was the former Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Donald Wilson, who has been involved in supporting previous Chinese visits to the Fringe Festival.

"The Chinese-Scottish link is very important, in many ways it's more important than it's ever been," he said. "We have a great Chinese community in Edinburgh, but the festival is also a platform for showing the best in all cultures. So it's an opportunity to both educate and entertain."

What in previous years was billed as the China Arts and Culture Festival has now been renamed the China-Britain Arts and Culture Festival.

The show was an opportunity to showcase many of China's unique musical instruments, like the sheng, one of China's oldest instruments, a multi-reed mouth organ dating back to 1100 BCE. String instruments included the liuqin, a Chinese mandolin with a pear-shaped body, and the ruan, a four-stringed lute with a circular body.

Among the musicians was 15-year-old bamboo flute player Zou Chenyang, on his first trip outside China.

"I have never played my instrument outside China," he said. "I felt very excited, it was magical. I want to introduce Chinese music to everyone."

As well as showcasing a range of traditional songs, the Bamboo Flute Quartet played a rearranged version of the theme from the West End musical The Phantom of the Opera.

Then from one culture to another, a series of classical Chinese dances were followed on stage by children from the Gordon Dance School performing traditional highland Scottish dances. Among the dancers was 14-year-old Lucy Ballamtrae.

"I think it's really good that we put the different styles together and show the difference in Chinese and highland dancing," she said afterwards.

The event was organized by Jessica Huijie from the Asian Association of Culture, Commerce and Education in Europe.

"It's nice for the young artists to come to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It's important for them to experience the international stage and audience," Huijie said. "They're not just performers; they also build up a bridge for culture and art exchanges."

These China-Britain cultural links are expected to extend beyond the Fringe Festival, with plans for year-round exchanges and cooperation – building bridges between the two countries through the power of art.

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