Spring Festival's UNESCO recognition enhances cultural identity, global exchange

UNESCO's decision to inscribe the Spring Festival on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List stands to enhance China's cultural identity and foster mutual understanding among civilizations, said Chinese cultural officials.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar and has been China's most important festival for centuries, bringing families together over many generations.

The festival remains a key cultural highlight, with people carrying on the tradition of hanging red lanterns, setting off fireworks and fixing red scrolls with rhyming phrases on their doors, hoping to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Wednesday inscribed the Spring Festival and the associated social practices on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The decision was made during the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Paraguay from Dec 2 to 7. The committee recognized the festival for its wide array of rituals and unique cultural elements that engage all of Chinese society.

This milestone marks the 44th Chinese project to be included on the UNESCO list, making China the country with the most entries. "The Spring Festival's inscription will further strengthen the cultural identity and confidence of the Chinese people, adding vibrant Chinese elements to the world's cultural diversity. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, we have reinforced the legal and regulatory framework for Intangible Cultural Heritage and improved our protection and inheritance systems. Through measures such as rescue, sustainable protection through productive practice, holistic protection, and digital preservation, we aim to ensure that our intangible cultural heritage continues to meet people's aspirations for a better life as it is passed down through generations," said Shan Gangxin, director of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Department of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

In recent years, China's systematic approach to the protection of intangible cultural heritage has received high praise from UNESCO. This year, China was once again elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The inscription of the Spring Festival carries profound significance in raising global recognition of China's intangible cultural heritage and expanding the country's cultural influence, officials said.

"Following the inscription, China now has 44 items on UNESCO's heritage list, the highest number in the world. We will seize this opportunity to organize colorful and diverse Spring Festival celebrations worldwide, making it a shared moment of happiness for people across the globe. We will also continue to act on the Global Civilization Initiative, promoting mutual understanding among people of all countries and fostering exchanges between civilizations," said Xiao Nan, deputy director of the Bureau of international exchange and cooperation under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The Global Civilization Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping in March 2023, stressing tolerance, coexistence, exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations to advance humanity's modernization process and foster the flourishing of global civilizations.

Spring Festival's UNESCO recognition enhances cultural identity, global exchange

Spring Festival's UNESCO recognition enhances cultural identity, global exchange

Spring Festival's UNESCO recognition enhances cultural identity, global exchange

Marking China's 11th Space Day, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) introduced major space projects in the 15th Five-Year Plan period on Friday in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan in the southwest, the main venue of a series of events marking this day.

Jointly sponsored by the CNSA and the provincial government, the event revealed major sci-tech achievements and space industry updates, with Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, introducing China's major space projects to be implemented in the next five years.

"In the areas of entering space, utilizing space, exploring space, and governing space, we will intensify the efforts to carry out key projects including manned spaceflight, lunar probe, planetary probe, and the national satellite internet. We will pace up the demonstration and launch of a new generation of space-power initiatives such as heavy-lift rockets, reusable launch vehicles, and next-generation national space infrastructure. In the fields of lunar and planetary probe, asteroid defense, on-orbit service, and space debris mitigation, we will deepen international collaboration, build the International Lunar Research Station, have in-depth engagement in global space governance, and create an open and cooperative landscape for China's space industry to build a community with a shared future for mankind," Shan said.

The CNSA also released a series of updates marking the Space Day, including the latest lunar discoveries from the Chang'e-5 mission, two new minerals named magnesiochangesite-(Y) and changesite-(Ce), selected international partners for the Tianwen-3 Mars mission, announcement of international cooperation opportunities for the Xihe-2 mission, and the Version 1.0 of the Commercial Space Standards System.

On the same occasion, Xie Jun, deputy chief designer of the BeiDou system, Zhang Bing, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and veteran astronaut Ye Guangfu, were appointed as the 2026 China Space Public Welfare Ambassadors.

More than 30 side events will take place across Chengdu during the Space Day period. Highlights include a space science exhibition at the Chengdu New International Convention and Exhibition Center, a VR sci-fi drama aimed at extending space knowledge, and the Space Wish Initiative launched by the China Media Group (CMG), inviting the public to share their stories related to space.

"We plan to put up over 30 activities in various forms with rich content for the Space Day to give people a feeling for the evolution and dynamism of China's space program. Aside from offering academic exchange platforms for professionals, we place more emphasis on engaging the public, particularly young people, in carrying forward the spirit and culture of space exploration," said Wang Cheng, secretary-general of the China Space Foundation.

Officials introduces space projects in 15th 5-Year Plan period