CALGARY, Canada, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Cultures of China tour received a strong reception for the second show of its North American trip Thursday.

That's when more than 2,000 people packed Calgary's Jubilee Auditorium for a performance celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution that ended China's last dynasty.

Retracing the footsteps of Dr. Sun Yat Sen's travels around North America to raise fund for his campaign to overthrow the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the seven-day tour visited a Calgary that was very different from the one Dr. Sun visited in April 1911.

Calgary is now Western Canada's second largest city after Vancouver with around one million residents but had a population of about just 44,000 people, including about 2,000 Chinese, when Dr. Sun arrived in 1911, in what was believed to be his second visit.

Rick Man, president of the Chinese Freemasons Calgary chapter, said Dr. Sun visited the city for about three weeks in 1911. During his time there, several banquets were held in his honor, and his speeches at the Canton Building, a structure that still stands today in the city's Chinatown, generated great fervor for the revolutionary cause.

Man, a Hong Kong immigrant, said the community was so moved by Dr. Sun's speeches that donations came in from not just Calgary, but also from other Albertan cities where the Chinese congregated, including Lethbridge and the provincial capital Edmonton.

At Jubilee Auditorium, the two-hour Cultures of China show, which blends traditional sounds with modern beats, found a receptive audience, many of whom were finding out about the diversity of China's ethnic minorities for the first time.

"I think it is a very good chance for all the Chinese community to learn more about China, and if they're not familiar they can definitely learn a lot," said 16-year-old Sarah Zhang. "For me personally, I really enjoy it because it is not often that you get to see so many awesome stars from China perform in Calgary."

Zhang added she previously knew nothing of the Xinhai Revolution, but could now understand its importance.

"I've learned so much about it, how China came to be today," she said. "It's a very good learning experience for me that I would never learn in school. It's tying me back to my culture, which I enjoy a lot."

Also among those in attendance for the performance, which featured Beijing opera star Yang Chi, tenor Liu Weiwei, singers Feng Ruili, Ma Xiaochen and Ah Wang, among others, was Alberta Lieutenant Gov. Donald Ethell, who represents Britain's Queen Elizabeth in the province.

Teresa Woo-Paw, a Hong Kong immigrant, who came to Calgary 40 years ago and is now a member of the Alberta parliament, said activities such as the Cultures of China show would only increase the awareness and understanding of Chinese culture in the province.

"We certainly understand that there's a tremendous opportunity between China and the province of Alberta," she said. "We have many of the natural resources and products, like fruit and wood fiber, that a fast-growing country like China needs and we have had very positive historical relations and we're building on that."