Pakistan’s Marifat Sufi Band performed Qawwali in Chengdu on September 10 as part of a reception marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China.
The event was hosted by the Consulate General of Pakistan in Chengdu and also featured an exhibition of calligraphy by Chinese and Pakistani artists.
The programme added a cultural dimension to a year of events marking seven and a half decades of formal diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Beijing.
Marifat Sufi Band Performs Qawwali in Chengdu
The September 10 reception featured a special Qawwali performance by Pakistan’s Marifat Sufi Band.
The event was reported as part of a series of cultural and musical exchanges being held in China during the 75th anniversary year of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations.
The performance placed a Pakistani musical tradition at the centre of a diplomatic reception in Chengdu, while the rest of the programme included visual art from both countries.
Available reporting specifically identifies the September 10 performance as Qawwali. It separately describes the band’s traditional Pakistani folk performances at events in Sichuan on September 11 and 12.
Keeping those performances distinct is important because the September 10 reception and the later Sichuan events were separate programmes.
Chinese and Pakistani Calligraphy Artists Join the Event
The Chengdu reception also featured an exhibition involving Chinese and Pakistani calligraphy artists.
The exhibition provided a visual component alongside the Qawwali performance, bringing artistic contributions from both countries into the same anniversary programme.
The combination of music and calligraphy gave the reception two distinct forms of cultural programming without requiring the event to move beyond its central purpose: marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Chengdu Has Hosted Wider Pakistani Cultural Programming
The September reception followed a larger Pakistan Cultural Week held in Chengdu in June.
The 2026 Pakistan Cultural Week opened on June 5 and ran through June 10 under the theme “75 Years of Iron Brotherhood: Mutual Learning of Civilizations Toward the Future.” It was co-hosted by the Consulate General of Pakistan in Chengdu, the Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Sichuan Women’s Federation.
The opening programme included Pakistani folk performances, traditional songs, ethnic dances and Rubab recitals. Chinese and Pakistani young performers also took part in a joint presentation.
The week included additional cultural activities such as photography, food, handicrafts and Pakistani film screenings.
More than 150 guests attended the opening ceremony, according to the Consulate General of Pakistan in Chengdu.
The June programme therefore had a broader cultural scope than the September 10 reception.
Two Different Cultural Formats in the Same City
The two Chengdu programmes illustrate different ways cultural exchanges have been organized during the anniversary year.
The June Cultural Week brought together several forms of Pakistani cultural expression, including music, dance, food, film, photography and handicrafts.
The September reception was more focused, with Qawwali and a joint Chinese-Pakistani calligraphy exhibition forming its main cultural elements.
The distinction matters because cultural diplomacy does not operate through a single format. Large public programmes can introduce audiences to multiple aspects of a country’s culture, while smaller receptions can use specific artistic traditions within diplomatic and community events.
Cultural Exchange During the 75th Anniversary Year
The Chengdu events form part of a broader programme of activities marking 75 years of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations.
For the September reception, the musical performance and calligraphy exhibition provided the cultural component of an event organized by Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Chengdu.
The June Cultural Week, meanwhile, was explicitly designed to promote people-to-people exchanges between Sichuan and Pakistan and to showcase Pakistani culture to local communities. The Pakistani consulate said the programme also sought to strengthen cultural and economic cooperation between the two sides.
These activities sit alongside the broader political and economic relationship between Pakistan and China.
Music as One Channel of People-to-People Exchange
The September Qawwali performance did not represent a new economic agreement or diplomatic policy.
Its significance was cultural.
The event gave a Pakistani musical tradition a place within an official anniversary programme in Chengdu, while the calligraphy exhibition brought artists from both countries into the same cultural setting.
The June Cultural Week took the exchange further by combining performances with food, film, photography and handicrafts.
Together, the programmes show how the 75th anniversary year is being marked through activities that extend beyond formal diplomatic meetings.
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