SOFIA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The China Philharmonic Orchestra held a Chinese New Year concert here on Wednesday evening in the Bulgaria Hall.

The event, which was attended by an audience of nearly 1,000 including Bulgarian First Lady Desislava Radeva, started with Bela Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances.

The concert, the Chinese orchestra's debut in Bulgaria, was the second leg of its tour in Central and Eastern Europe that also includes Hungary, Serbia and Romania.

Chinese ambassador to Bulgaria Dong Xiaojun, who addressed the event, said that in recent years, with the introduction of the Belt and Road Initiative and in-depth cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries, more and more Chinese artists have again embarked on the Silk Road.

"As a result, the cultural exchange between China and Bulgaria shows a trend for more active development, becoming a vivid image of the traditional friendship between the two countries in the new era and foreseeing a bright future for cooperation in all directions," Dong said. Enditem