The first "Cross-Straits City Art Festival - Beijing Week" will be staged in Taipei from October 16 to 24, hot on the heels of the successful "Taipei Week" festival that was held in the Chinese capital last month.

The "Beijing Week" festival will function as a platform for cultural exchange between the two cities and will include a forum on culture, art performances and museum exhibits. The Peking Opera House, Bejing Symphony Orchestra and China National Acrobatic Troupe will also put on a range of classic performances.

An exhibition of paintings held by the National Art Museum of China opened ahead of the festival in Taipei on October 5th. Attendance has been high at the exhibition, "Expanding Realism -Paintings from the Chinese Mainland from 1978".

The Mayor of Taipei, Ma Ying Jeou, said the festival would promote the development of both sides of the straits. He hoped the activity would expand to other cities besides Beijing and Taipei.