Atop the Great Wall on a golden autumn day, dancers from the Andean highlands performed with scissors in hand, the metallic sounds resonating with the ancient ramparts.

On October 13, 2025, the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing hosted a transoceanic cultural dialogue. The "Scissors Dance" troupe from Peru's Lares Cultural Center, having just concluded their performance at the "2025 Taiyuan · France Gannat International Art Festival," embarked on a new cultural journey, presenting a captivating performance atop this World Heritage site symbolizing Chinese civilization.

As the dancers, holding specially crafted scissors, moved to the rhythm of lively traditional music, the cultural essence of the Andean highlands intertwined with the profound historical weight of the Great Wall under the clear autumn sky.

The Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center

1. A Historic Encounter of Intangible and Tangible World Heritage

The "Scissors Dance," one of the most representative performing arts of the Peruvian Andes, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010. Originating in the colonial period, this dance is not only a symbol of cultural resistance for Peru's indigenous peoples but also a cultural practice integrating physical skill, musical tradition, and spiritual belief.

The Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center at the Great Wall

The Badaling Great Wall, inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in the first batch in 1987, bears witness to over two millennia of Chinese military history and cultural exchange. When these two cultural treasures, representing Peru and China respectively, met atop the Great Wall, it resulted not merely in a cultural collision, but in a resonance of civilizations.

The Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center at the Great Wall

2. The Gannat Art Festival: A Platform for Mutual Learning Among Civilizations

The visiting Peruvian Scissors Dance troupe came to China at the invitation of the "2025 Taiyuan · France Gannat International Art Festival." This festival is guided by the French World Culture Association and jointly organized by Beijing Huayi Wuzhou International Cultural Exchange Co., Ltd., Taiyuan Radio and Television Station, and Taiyuan Longcheng Development and Investment Group Co., Ltd.

The festival has officially received recognition from UNESCO. The event brought together over 260 international artists from 16 countries, aiming to promote exchange and understanding between different civilizations through artistic performances.

2025 Taiyuan · France Gannat International Art Festival
Performance by the Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center

The France Gannat International Art Festival transcends the boundaries of typical art events. It is not only a stage to showcase artistic excellence from various countries but also an experimental field for practicing the concept of "mutual learning among civilizations and pluralistic coexistence." During the festival, artists from around the world not only performed on stage but also engaged in deep-level interaction and exchange through a series of cultural activities.

2025 Taiyuan · France Gannat International Art Festival
Performance by the Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center

3. From Taiyuan to the Great Wall: A New Path for Civilizational Exchange

The Peruvian troupe's journey from the stages of Taiyuan to the Great Wall in Beijing charts a new path for civilizational exchange. On the stage of the Taiyuan · France Gannat International Art Festival, they performed alongside artists from France, Kazakhstan, Australia, India, Poland, and other countries, showcasing the unique charm of Andean culture; atop the Great Wall, they engaged in a profound dialogue with a symbolic representation of Chinese civilization.

Group photo of the Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center

From the highlands of the Andes to the Great Wall of China, from the art festival in Taiyuan to the landscapes of Beijing, this route itself narrates a poem of civilizational exchange. This kind of communication, transcending geographical space and cultural boundaries, is precisely the goal pursued by the French World Culture Association and Beijing Huayi Wuzhou—to break down cultural barriers, build bridges of understanding, and allow every culture to shine with its unique brilliance on the world stage.

Group photo of the Peruvian "Scissors Dance" troupe from the Lares Cultural Center with staff from the Badaling Great Wall Administration and Beijing Huayi Wuzhou

The Dialogue of Civilizations Never Ceases

When the metallic sounds of the Scissors Dance echoed over the Great Wall

When the spirit of the Andes blended with the soul of Huaxia in the autumn breeze

What we witnessed was not merely a performance

But hope for the shared progress of human civilization