The vibrant dance started early on Wednesday morning, the first day of the Chinese New Year which marked the arrival of the Year of the Snake. Folk artists donning eye-catching costumes performed in front of the Preah Ang Dorngkeu Shrine before making their way to the Royal Palace. This year's performance was joined by eight lion dance groups and organized by the Federation of Khmer Chinese, the largest association for the overseas Chinese community in Cambodia.
The Chinese New Year – which is known in China as the Spring Festival - is not a public holiday in Cambodia, but is still celebrated in the country.
Members of the lion dance troupe say the spectacle is held annually to honor the Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and to pray for a prosperous new year for all.
"We organized the lion dance performance at the Royal Palace to gain happiness and prosperity. And we have eight representative teams this year. Before we perform, we first need to visit the Royal Palace to gain the favor of protective angels and his Majesty the King. We believe that the angel that watches over us is powerful. After we perform, when we then perform at the houses of our Cambodian-Chinese relatives. We wish for a happy and prosperous New Year," said Kim Chhayhout, a member of the Sinh Yithang Lion Dance Group.
The Chinese New Year was recently recognized by UNESCO as one of humanity's intangible cultural heritages, highlighting its growing global presence. This year marks the Year of the Snake, which is said to represent wisdom, intuition and transformation.
Cambodia celebrates Chinese New Year with colorful lion dance performance
China is willing to continue working with Russia within the framework of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, maintain timely communication on major issues, and make joint efforts to help de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, safeguard regional peace and stability, and uphold common security for the world, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
China and Russia, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should uphold fairness and justice on matters of principle, adopt an objective and balanced approach, and seek greater understanding and support from the international community, Wang said.
Noting that China has consistently advocated the resolution of international and regional hotspot issues through dialogue and negotiation, Wang said that the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, hostilities are still escalating, and the fundamental solution to ensuring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz lies in achieving an early ceasefire and bringing the war to an end.
For his part, Lavrov said Russia is highly concerned about the continued escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
Regarding the ongoing conflict and the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, Lavrov said Russia maintains that military operations must be stopped immediately and efforts should return to the track of political and diplomatic settlement to address the root causes of the conflict, and the UN Security Council should play a constructive role in this regard.
Russia stands ready to maintain close communication and coordination with China and continue to make efforts and speak out in support of a ceasefire and the end of the war, he said.
China willing to cooperate with Russia to de-escalate Mideast situation: FM
