A group of athletes participating in the 19th Asian Games visited the ancient town in Jinhua City, east China's Zhejiang Province on Monday night to have a feel of the authentic traditional Chinese culture and a closer look at the city with thousands of years of history.

The Hangzhou Asian Games has become a platform to boost cultural exchanges among participants from various countries. Athletes and team officials from Thailand, Bahrain and other countries came to a historical and cultural town in Jinhua where there were bright and colorful lights decorating the ancient walls.

At the night fair, athletes also bought some hand-made Chinese-style souvenirs such as bracelets and folding fans to bring home.

"I just buy this one because I know it's like traditional Chinese things. And when I come here, it's come to my mind that I have to take this for my mom," said Mubarak Mohamed Mubarak Binahmed, a football player from Bahrain.

The group also tried some paper-cutting, one of the most typical folk art forms in Jinhua and a treasure of the Chinese culture. At a local paper-cut museum, participants learned how to make paper-cuts for window decoration from an inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage item.

The athletes said the exciting night tour enabled them to know more about the city as well as the country.

"It's my first time here in China and my first time also in this city. [It's really nice] as nature, as organization, as history, as everything. I'm really happy here," said Walid Charfeddine, an official with the Bahrain football team.