The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building and an iconic feature of the skyline in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday put on a light show to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival, one of China's most important traditional holidays.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, taking place annually on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is celebrated on Sept. 17 this year.
The two-day light show is themed around the Mid-Autumn Festival myth of the Jade Rabbit, the pet of the Chinese moon goddess Chang'e when she lived in the Moon Palace.
The light show presents the dreamy scenes of the Moon Palace and the agile movement of the Jade Rabbit through animation. The human characters in the animation are designed based on the images of children in traditional Chinese New Year paintings, integrating traditional Chinese art elements and patterns.
The light show fascinated residents and touched many overseas Chinese.
"Being able to see such a beautiful light show at the Burj Khalifa makes us feel that our home and motherland are right beside us even though we are far away from home, it makes us feel very warm," said Hang Fang, an overseas Chinese in the UAE.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the UAE. For the iconic Chinese festival and the long-lasting bilateral friendship, the Chinese School Dubai held a celebration event on Sunday, featuring performances of traditional singing and dancing, martial arts, and Chinese calligraphy, as well as interactive activities such as guessing lantern riddles and eating moon cakes.
Burj Khalifa puts on light show to celebrate Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
China expects all parties in Colombia will steadfastly implement the peace agreement to achieve national stability, peace and development in all aspects, said China's United Nations envoy Geng Shuang at a Security Council meeting on the peace process in Colombia on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the United Nations Security Council deliberated on Colombia's progress in implementing the peace agreement reached between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in August 2016.
"We expect and believe that all parties in Colombia, under the leadership of President Petro and the Colombian government, will demonstrate firm determination in implementing the agreement, overcome various difficulties and challenges, and form powerful resultant forces in the peace-building process, to ultimately achieve national stability, peace and development in all aspects," Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council meeting.
According to the Chinese envoy, China proposed that Colombia should continuously unleash the dividends of development, consolidate the achievements of peace talks, and enhance its security capabilities.
"We support the Colombian government in effectively implementing policies to disarm armed groups and combat criminal gangs, increasing security force deployment in areas lacking effective control, and better protecting vulnerable groups such as former armed personnel, women, children, and ethnic minorities," Geng said.
In 2016, FARC, the largest anti-government guerrilla group in Colombia, signed a peace agreement with the government, ending over five decades of armed conflicts. However, some of its members splintered off, continuing to attack government forces, leading to a deadlock in the peace talks.
China expects Colombia's firm implementation of peace deal to achieve national stability: envoy
