People perform lion dance during the opening ceremony of the 8th Chinese Cultural Festival in Havana, Cuba, July 11, 2008. The festival was held by the Ministry of Culture of Cuba, with the assistance of China's Embassy to Cuba and the Chinese Traditional Art Museum. (Xinhua/Yin Yongjian) Photo Gallery>>>

    HAVANA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The eighth Chinese Cultural Festival kicked off here on Friday with shows of China's traditional lion dance and shadowboxing.

    The festival, co-organized by Cuba's Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Embassy in Cuba, was held in the Cuban Exhibition Center in suburban Havana.

    Cuba's Deputy Minister of Culture Fernando Rojas attended the opening ceremony and said Cuba and China maintain good relations in the political, economic and cultural fields, and the annual Chinese Cultural Festival is testament to the ever-strengthening bilateral relations.

    The three-day festival will also feature shows of Chinese martial arts, Chinese cuisine exhibitions and kite-flying competitions and other activities.