Cambodia marks Culture Day with traditional arts performance

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen attends an event celebrating the 22nd National Culture Day in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, March 3, 2020. Cambodia celebrated the 22nd National Culture Day with the show of traditional music and dances on Tuesday. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia celebrated the 22nd National Culture Day with the show of traditional music and dances on Tuesday.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen attended the event, which was held at the Diamond Island exhibition center with about 4,000 participants.

Speaking at the ceremony, Hun Sen said the cultural sector has been developed rapidly in the last two decades thanks to the country's peace and political stability.

He said youth has been playing a very important role in helping to safeguard, preserve and develop the kingdom's cultural properties.

"It's a pride and honor for our people who were born and live in Cambodia-the nation that is rich in culture in Southeast Asia," the prime minister said, expressing his profound gratitude to the ancestors for leaving countless cultural heritages for next generations.

Cambodia has so far had three tangible cultural properties and five intangible cultural heritages listed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The listed tangible cultural properties included the Angkor Archeological Park, Preah Vihear Temple and Sambor Prei Kuk Archeological Site, while the listed intangible cultural heritages are the Royal Ballet, Sbek Thom or Khmer Shadow Puppetry, tug-of-war game, Chapei Dang Veng, a long-necked, two-stringed lute, and Lkhon Khol, a masked dance-theater.