A show of traditional Chinese clothing garnered attention at the Carnival of Venice in St Mark's Square on February 17.

The show was jointly hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People's Government, the Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, the Confucius Institute at Ca' Foscari University of Venice and authorities of the city, and was organized by the Suzhou Silk Museum.

Chinese and Italian models donned silk costumes and paraded through streets en route to the central public square while local residents and tourists were highly interested in the show and took photos along the way.

Ma Xiaohui, director of the Confucius Institute, said the annual carnival began in the 16th century and has become a top art and cultural event. This was the first time that traditional Chinese dresses were featured at the carnival.

Venice is the first international sister-city of Suzhou. The two cities have achieved fruitful results in the fields of economy, trade, culture, education, sports and healthcare through the years.

(Photos courtesy of Suzhou Silk Museum)

Suzhou is also one of the important birthplaces of China's silk culture, reflecting the aesthetics of Jiangnan through the Grand Canal and the Silk Road.

In addition, Suzhou has promoted its Kunqu Opera, pingtan (storytelling and ballad singing in the Suzhou dialect), calligraphy and painting, TCM and other crafts in Venice for exchange. Meanwhile, Suzhou has also welcomed Venice to showcase its opera, movies, modern music and other cultural heritage.