CAIRO, May 17 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese dance drama featuring a love story on the ancient Silk Road will be staged in Egypt and Qatar as part of the cultural exchanges between China and Arabic countries.

The drama, "The Moon Over the Helan Mountain", is based on the folklore in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where the Helan mountain is located. It tells about the hardships of a group of Arab merchants and a moving love story between a young Arab man and a Ningxia local girl.

The 100-minute drama will be presented in the Cairo Opera House on May 23 and 24, in Alexandria on May 26 and Doha on May 30, Ding Yuping, deputy chief of the Yinchuan Art Troupe, said Monday in Cairo.

"The drama shows the harmonious coexistence and development between different cultures and the unity of various ethnic minority groups," said Ding.

More than 30 different ethnic groups live in Ningxia, with Muslims accounting for about 35 percent of its population.