Beijing ready to sway to latin rhythms

The singer-songwriter has dedicated himself to performing songs that mash up Chinese and Latin American styles. Some songs are original, while others are adapted from Colombian folk songs.

One of the songs the band will perform is Zhong Guo Hao (China is Good), the first song Palacios wrote, which he describes as "a gift to China".

In the song, he sings about his early days in China when he couldn't speak Chinese, and missed his hometown very much.

He also expresses his gratitude to his Chinese friends, who helped him get through the challenging period. Palacios is now settled in Xiamen with his Chinese wife and their child.

"Latin American music is about dancing and partying. Chinese music is much more calm and quiet. When I first talked about the idea of forming the band with the Chinese musicians, who play traditional Chinese musical instruments and teach in music schools, they were reluctant because it was a bold idea to use their instruments to combine these two music styles together," recalls Palacios.

"However, after the first song we did together, they felt excited and agreed to continue the music project."

Besides Palacios' group, six bands from Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, Costa Rica and Venezuela, will perform during the Latin American and Caribbean Arts Season, an international event first launched in 2013.