President Xi attends gala show for HK's 20th return anniversary

President Xi Jinping attended a grand gala marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China at the waterfront Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center Friday night.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C, front), also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, steps onto the stage and sings in chorus the song "Ode to the Motherland" with the performers and the audience during a grand gala marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, in Hong Kong, south China, June 30, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua]

The gala brought together artists from both the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the mainland, showcasing patriotism and Hong Kong's cultural diversity.

The show culminated when Xi stepped onto the stage in the company of HKSAR Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying and Chief Executive-elect Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and sang in chorus the song "Ode to the Motherland" with the performers and the audience.

Xi, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, arrived here Thursday to attend celebrations for Hong Kong's 20th return anniversary and the inauguration of the HKSAR's fifth-term government.

Inspection of the HKSAR is also on the schedule for his three-day stay.