Local people watch with interest as lion dancing kickstarts China Day at the event. [Photo by Du Yang/China Daily]

Xue and another well-known historian, Yan Chongnian, were invited to Oman to communicate with Omanis via local media. It was the first time Chinese scholars, and not just artists, were invited to take part in Muscat Festival.

With the theme "Happy Chinese New Year," the China pavilion had four parts: food, crafts, kung fu and Chinese wishes. From its opening on Jan 27, it held 11 different kinds of crafts classes to teach visitors Chinese traditional crafts such as kite making, tie-dying, paper cutting and Chinese ink painting. The outdoor kung fu show also drew large crowds.

On Feb 10, a 70-meter-long dragon kite soared through the skies, attracting visitors.

"These kinds of cultural activities are a good way for Arab people to learn more about China. In fact, even though Arabs have little idea about China, they usually have a good impression of China," says Xue, a scholar who has studied the Arab world for decades.

According to two Pew polls in 2005 and 2010, China is the Arab world's favored world power, being preferred to countries such as the United States, Russia, France and Turkey, says Xue.