Leaders of 18 overseas performance groups were appointed as inbound observers by the Shanghai Tourism Festival organizing committee on Sunday, with the hope of promoting the beauty and cultural wonder of Shanghai around the world.

At the invitation of the committee, these performance groups from 15 countries and regions, including Australia, Germany, Croatia and Italy, took part in a grand parade of the Shanghai Tourism Festival on Saturday night.
"We love to come to Shanghai, really enjoy being here. Yesterday's grand parade was awesome. The atmosphere was great. Different groups from various countries gathered here. We really like Shanghai a lot," said Jana Zschunke, board member of the orchestra group Blasorchester Leipzig.
Taking advantage of their visit to explore Chinese culture, over 1,000 international performers have been sightseeing around Shanghai from Wednesday.
"We eat Chinese food every day. I have to admit that it is quite delicious. We really like eating it. We may be a few pounds heavier when we return from China. I'm so glad that we have the chance to come to Shanghai, to China. For most of the girls, it is their first time here. I hope it would not be the last. We want to come back again, whether it is to Shanghai or other places in China," said Elizabeta Mikelj, leader of Mazoretkinje otoka Krka, a performance troupe dedicated to the art of majorette baton twirling.