About 3,500 excited spectators applauded here on Thursday evening a show performed by the Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

Chinese ambassador to Bulgaria Guo Yezhou opened the performance in the Bulgarian National Palace of Culture (NPC), saying that since 2009, during the Chinese Spring celebrations China has been sending overseas its popular artistic ensembles to deepen friendship.

He said that three major Chinese ensembles visited Bulgaria over the past three years, and these cultural exchanges enhanced the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, creating a good atmosphere and a strong basis for business collaboration.

"It was a very good performance, with incredible choreography, amazing music and costumes. It was at a very high level. I am fascinated," Georgi Stoev, Deputy Minister of Culture, told Xinhua after the performance.

Another spectator, Alexandra, also said the concert was very nice. "I loved it, it was very pleasant and showed the culture of Tibet," she said, while Angel said: "It was great, with many smiling people; very colorful, beautiful, very nice indeed."

"Wonderful! We just went to the Tibetan mountains," Zhivka Ilcheva said.

"Bulgarian audience is very enthusiastic. Some of them told me they really enjoyed the performance, and liked the music, the costumes and the dance very much," said Bi Shixiang, chief of the Chinese cultural delegation.

"I hope this show will help the Bulgarians learn more about Chinese culture and Chinese New Year," he said.

Founded in 1958, the Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is a professional art troupe with more than 200 artists and staff members, specialized in various performances including singing, dancing, folk music, and folk drama.

For five decades, the ensemble have created and choreographed more than 1,000 programs, the most popular among them including "Hometown of King Gesar, a Beloved Son of the Snowy Plateau", "Dream Lake", "The Hometown of Kangding Love Song", "Can't help Singing", "Road to the Happy Life", "The Wind on Tibetan Plateau", "The Attraction of Xianzi Dance", "Soul of Guozhuang Dance", "Daughters of One Mother", "The Girl Named Zhuo Ma" and "Dream Lover".

As crystals of Tibetan folk culture, these performances showcase the joyful life of people living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The Ensemble has presented more than 500 performances in total, including 150 ones at national level and over 300 in more than 50 countries and regions in Asia, Europe and Africa, which received wide acclamation and great success.

Since its establishment, the Ensemble have won 133 vocal and 365 dance awards, among which "The Hometown of the Kangding Love Song" was awarded the World Peace Prize, its highest honor, on the 1st "World Cultural Openness and Development Conference" held in South Korea.