ROME, March 23 (Xinhua) -- A series of exhibitions, seminars and performances took place here this week to bring Chinese arts closer to the Italian public and promote bilateral understanding.

The events were held on the sidelines of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the European country, which started Thursday with the aim of promoting bilateral relations and cooperation in various areas.

On Wednesday afternoon, at the National Museum of the 21st-Century Arts, or MAXXI, visitors enjoyed a show of Chinese design products that combine traditional Chinese arts with creative fashion design concepts.

Nearly 100 works from 16 groups of Chinese designers were put on display in the renowned Italian museum, including cosmetics, jewelry, clothes and handicrafts.

Meanwhile, representatives of leading Chinese and Italian media gathered for discussions on advancing media collaboration within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The dialogue, which attracted some 200 government officials, media executives, reporters and experts, came to the conclusion that within the BRI framework, China-Italy cooperation, including that in the media realm, has great potential and enjoys broad prospects.

On Thursday night, spectators packed La Lanterna, an art center in Rome, to view various performances by Chinese and Italian artists at a gala celebrating the friendship between the two countries.

Singers and dancers integrated Chinese and Italian art elements into the show, which reached its climax when young Chinese and Italian singers sang an opera together.

On Friday morning, an interactive exhibition titled "Look at China via 100 Billion Pixels" was opened in Rome to showcase the profound changes in China, including the development of big cities and the improvement of people's living standard.

In addition, it also focuses on bilateral economic cooperation and people-to-people exchanges, highlighting the friendship between the two countries.