ISTANBUL, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese dance and music show celebrating the upcoming Chinese new year gained grand applause from the audiences in Istanbul on Wednesday.

The performance, named "Magical Silk Road and Magnificent Longyuan," were performed by China's Gansu Provincial Opera and Gansu Province Acrobatic Troupe at a cultural center in the Atasehir district.

"It is very important for us to contribute to the strengthening of our friendship with China with the opportunity of such a big show," Volkan Aslan, director of cultural and social affairs department for the Atasehir municipality, said.

"We believe in the unifying power of music and art," he added before the show.

Cui Wei, the Chinese consul general in Istanbul, said the spectacular scenery and historical ruins of Gansu Province are very famous and the show would portray some of them for the Turkish people.

The program featured a blend of traditional Chinese dance and music, introducing the country's both ancient cultural heritage and modern culture in 16 different sections.

It included several folk melodies that belong to different ethnic groups, performances with traditional musical instruments, various dance and acrobatic shows.

At a fascinating section, a Chinese artist presented a piece of a busy day of a cook in his kitchen with splendid acrobatic moves.

Women artists performed several dances with the traditional folk music known as Huaer, a popular music genre in western China.

Musicians playing bamboo flute and Erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument, allured admiration.

The audience also accompanied a Chinese singer chanting a Turkish and a Chinese local song.

According to the Chinese lunar year, 2020 will be the year of the rat, which falls on Jan. 25.