As Sofia is the largest city and hometown of many of the major local universities, cultural institutions and commercial companies in Bulgaria, Fandakova said he hoped the cultural center would help more Bulgarian people better understand Chinese culture.

At the opening ceremony, artists from the Ningbo Arts Troupe featured a series of performances, including traditional Chinese music Jasmine, Shaoxing opera Butterfly Lovers and Bulgarian folk dances.

Chinese intangible cultural heritage inheritors also displayed paper cutting, Chinese calligraphy and Chinese ink painting during the event.

Before the opening ceremony, a dance drama Ten Miles Red Makeup (Shi Li Hong Zhuang) from the Zhejiang Song and Dance Theater was put on in Bulgaria on Nov 22. The performance attracted about 1,000 local people and officials from China and Bulgaria.

As the 34th overseas China Cultural Centers, the center in Sofia is the first one established in Central and Eastern European Countries. Ningbo in Zhejiang province participated in the establishment and will support the center's running.

A Shaoxing opera performance at the opening ceremony of the Sofia China Cultural Center, Nov 23, 2017. [Photo by Li Jieying/provided to Chinaculture.org]