Egypt launched on Thursday its first Afro-Chinese Arts & Folklore Festival in a bid to draw tourists back to the North-African country. Some 18 African countries participated in the festival, organised by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. During the opening ceremony held in Cairo’s Muhammad Ali Palace, a number of bands from several African countries and China performed folkloric and musical shows. The Manial Palace & Museum is a former Ottoman Egyptian dynasty era palace and grounds on Rhoda Island in the Nile, located in the Sharia Al-Saray area in the El-Manial district of southern Cairo, Egypt. The palace and estate has been preserved as an Antiquities Council directed historic house museum and estate, reflecting the settings and lifestyle of the late 19th- and early 20th-century Egyptian royal prince and heir apparent. The residence compound, composed of five separate and distinctively styled buildings, is surrounded by Persian gardens within an extensive English Landscape garden estate park, along a small branch of the Nile. Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Song Aiguo told Xinhua that the event is good “because it not only introduces Chinese culture to Egypt, but also enhances bilateral understanding”. “It is a difficult time for Egypt’s tourism, so the event is even more timely,” he added. The six-day event aims to strengthen ties between African countries and China, and will celebrate the cultural heritage of the participating countries. The festival includes film screening, folkloric dance performance as well as cuisine from the different countries and handicrafts.