The Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver hosted a special reception on Saturday to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival, with a host of traditional performances and colorful presentations getting both Canadian and Chinese attendees into the festive spirit.
The event was held to mark the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, which falls on Feb 17 this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.
Around 400 guests, including Acting Consul General of the Chinese Consulate General in Vancouver Zeng Zhi and Parliamentary Secretary for Trade for the Government of British Columbia Paul Choi, as well as representatives from the business community, overseas Chinese community, Chinese-funded enterprises, as well as Chinese students, attended the reception.
The gathering came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China last month, during which the two sides agreed to deepen exchanges and expand cooperation in multiple key areas.
Speaking at the Vancouver reception, Zeng extended Chinese New Year greetings to attendees and said the Consulate General is willing to build on Carney's recent visit by working with all sectors to promote the building of a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada, implement consensus, enhance mutual trust, and better benefit the people of both countries.
Don Davies, a Member of Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway, also commended the steady advancement and deepening of bilateral relations between the two countries in the wake of Carney's visit to China, which was the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years.
"I think it's very important for Canada to diversify our trade relationships and who better to do it [with] than the second largest economy in the world. So I'm very pleased to see warmer relations happening and I'm looking forward to stronger relations in the year ahead," he said.
Davis also turned his attention to the importance of the upcoming Spring Festival.
"The Spring Festival is always an important cultural time for people in the Chinese communities. It's a time of rebirth, it's a time to reset, it's a time of hope. And it's a time where we can focus on our families and hope that the year is better, bring us more success, more happiness, better health and prosperity," said Davis.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim also extended his good wishes for the festive occasion.
"I just want to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous Year of the Horse and may everything be prosperous and fruitful in the year to come," he said.
The reception also included the screening of a promotional video for this year's edition of the China Media Group's Spring Festival Gala. Recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's most-watched annual television program, the hours-long television extravaganza is broadcast on the eve of the Chinese New Year and features a host of entertaining features and performances which shine a spotlight on Chinese culture.
Chinese consulate in Vancouver hosts reception to celebrate upcoming Spring Festival
