Brazilian drama queen Sara Sarres sings the song All I Ask of You with her partner Cleto Baccic. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

“Alicia Alonso Grand Theater, founded in 1337, was renovated in January this year. As a first-class stage in South America, we will invite Chinese artists to perform with Cuban artists in the future,” he added.

The idea of the event was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping when he attended the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit at Brasilia in July, 2014.

The Exchange Year include events throughout 2016, including arts, exhibitions, seminars, films, food festivals, and tourism promotions.