Three-day art festival of disabled?people opens in Wuhan

China launched the 11th art performance festival of disabled people in Wuhan in the central province of Hubei on Monday. The festival acts as a stage to show the results of the nation's efforts and achievements in facilitating disabled people's cultural and artistic development.

According to the latest release by the China Disabled Persons' Federation, 152 shows of 32 delegations nationwide will be staged during the three-day art gala — from Monday to Wednesday — including vocal, instrumental, dance and Chinese opera performances. The festival will feature 1,318 disabled participants, accounting for 95.4 percent of all performers.

The art festival is jointly organized by several central departments and organizations including the disabled persons' federation, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Video and Television Administration.

The release said that the nation has been organizing the art festival of disabled people every four years after 1989, for which people with disabilities can register to perform regardless of their age or occupation.

"Disabled people are members of society and one of the important forces advancing China's modernization. They not only enjoy culture, but also inherit and create culture. The art festival has grown into an art gala over the past three decades, showing the nation's development in disabled people's culture undertakings," said Wang Hongwei, a senior official from the China Disabled Persons' Federation, at a news conference in Wuhan on Monday.

He said that the art festival aims to spot and cultivate batches of disabled art talent and create a bigger number of artworks to inspire more people with disabilities to pass down Chinese traditional cultures and promote values of self-dependence, equality, sharing and collaboration.

Yuan Xuemei, vice-chair of the Hubei Disabled Persons' Federation, said at the news conference that the province is fully prepared for the art festival, with barrier-free facilities installed at the venues and performers' hotels.

"All staff members, volunteers and drivers serving the art festival have been well-trained and have good knowledge of disabled people's demands," she said, adding that medical services are also available at the venues and hotels in case of emergencies.