Chinese and Russian women gathered at the fourth China-Russia Women's Culture Week from July 2-8 in Moscow and St. Petersburg, a senior Chinese official told reporters on Friday.

Gu Xiulian, president of the All-China Women's Federation, headed a delegation of more than 80 Chinese women to attend the event, one of the 13 state-level activities celebrating the Year of China in Russia, Long Jiangwen, deputy chief of the international department of the All-China Women's Federation, said at a press conference in Moscow.

  

Gu, also vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, or China's top legislature, met leaders of the Russian Federation Council, State Duma and the government, and also the mayors of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

  

The culture week included a forum between Chinese and Russian women, the second of its kind, a joint performance by families of both countries and an exhibition of folk handicrafts.

  

At the forum, women of the two countries exchanged views on their family experiences, touching on topics of marriage, family education of the youth and the life of elderly people, Long said

  

The third China-Russia Women's Culture Week was held in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou on October 19-25 last year, and the first two were held in China in 2002 and Russia in 2004, respectively.

  

Joint Performance by Families of China and Russia

  

The joint performance commenced with a Russian folk song, and about 10 families of China and Russia participated in the performance.

  

Chinese singers Zeng Gege and Feng Xiaoquan performed "The Heaven and the World" which was adapted from Kazak folk music and performed with Chinese musical instruments, the bamboo flute and suona horn.

  

Tibetan girls also presented their ethnic dances to the audiences.

  

On the other side, the Russian families also brought a highlight to this joint performance. Some of them performed the parts of the play "Russian red corner," exhibiting the different kind costumes used when the local people married and died. Other actors performed the traditional musical instruments of Russia.

The Exhibition of Folk Handicrafts

  

As a part of the China-Russia Women's Culture Week, the exhibition of folk handicrafts displayed a series of Chinese handicrafts including paper-cut, patchwork art, paper-fan painting and wall ornaments.