Spring Festival celebrations held in many countries to boost cultural exchange

Spring Festival celebrations have taken place in many parts of the world over the past few days to welcome the Year of the Horse, with vibrant festivities highlighting the growing global appreciation of Chinese culture.

As part of the international "Happy Spring Festival" program, gala events and temple fairs were staged across multiple countries to mark China's most important traditional holiday.

In Berlin, the 2026 Year of the Horse "Happy Spring Festival" Gala was held at its City Hall, drawing more than 300 Chinese and German guests from political, business and cultural circles. Lion dances, traditional opera, and folk music performances filled the historic venue with festive spirit.

"The important thing is that we have had a wonderful experience celebrating Chinese Spring Festival in Berlin. This also underpins the friendship between Beijing and Berlin. I sincerely wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year, filled with joy, good fortune, and, most importantly, good health. May we all have a bright future," said Oliver Friedrich, state secretary of Berlin Senate Administration.

"I wish all Chinese a happy Spring Festival and a joyous family reunion," said Vice President of German Tourism Association Ulrike Katz.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a lively Spring Festival temple fair brought Chinese New Year traditions to the Southern Hemisphere country. Dragon and lion dances, martial arts performance, and traditional Chinese dances captivated large crowds, and the promo video of China's symbolic festive show, the CMG Spring Festival Gala, was screened during the event.

"I have followed the Spring Festival Gala for four or five years. It is marvelous that China's Spring Festival Gala can last for so many years and getting better and better. It is remarkable," said local resident Eugenia Benetta.

Singapore hosted the 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" gala as well as a cultural exhibition celebrating the Year of the Horse, where Singaporean and Chinese artists presented performances blending heritage and innovation. The Singapore Calligraphy Association also organized national calligraphy and spring couplets exhibitions to share festive blessings.

Brazil's Sao Paulo City recently held a "Happy Spring Festival" carnival, bringing the joy of the Chinese New Year to the local people, where the performances by local Chinese martial arts students underpinned the deep engagement between the two cultures.

Celebrations also extended to New York City, where a "Taste of China" cultural event showcased traditional crafts and Chinese cuisine.

In Nairobi, Kenya, a themed temple fair invited residents to experience Chinese traditions in a joyful and welcoming atmosphere.

"During this special occasion of Chinese festival, Spring Festival of the gala 2026, this is a special moment for us here as Kenyans to eye how you make it so vibrant. For us, we admire the culture itself. We're so happy to be in this festival," said Alex, a local participant in Nairobi.

Spring Festival celebrations held in many countries to boost cultural exchange

China's financing data for January showed steady growth, underscoring a moderately loose monetary policy aimed at supporting high-quality economic development, according to central bank data released on Friday.

China's January financing data showed steady growth, reflecting the country's efforts to maintain a moderately loose monetary environment in order to support steady economic development.

China's outstanding aggregate financing for the real economy stood at 449.11 trillion yuan (about 65.08 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of January, up 8.2 percent year on year, according to data released by the People's Bank of China on Friday.

The M2, a broad measure of money supply that covers cash in circulation and all deposits, increased 9 percent year on year to 347.19 trillion yuan last month, the central bank said.

Outstanding yuan loans totaled 276.62 trillion yuan at the end of January, up 6.1 percent year on year.

The faster growth of outstanding aggregate financing and M2 compared with nominal GDP signals a moderately loose monetary policy that has helped ensure a stable start to the year, according to Zhang Jiqiang, head of Huatai Securities Research Institute.

Zhang said that January's M2 growth exceeded the previous month, driven partly by base effects and partly by good capital market performance.

Interest rates remained at historic lows in January. The weighted average rate for newly-issued corporate loans was about 3.2 percent, down 20 basis points from a year earlier, while new housing loans averaged 3.1 percent, broadly unchanged.

The inclusive loans to small and micro businesses rose 11.6 percent to 37.16 trillion yuan by the end of January, and medium-to long-term loans to service industries, excluding real estate, climbed 9.2 percent to 60.03 trillion yuan, both outpacing overall loan growth.

Chinese online payment clearinghouse NetsUnion and card payment giant China UnionPay reported that mobile payment transactions in January rose sharply, with commodity purchases up 16.8 percent and service transactions up 8.6 percent year on year.

"With the approach of the Chinese New Year, demands for New Year goods shopping, home upgrades and travel have surged, giving a notable boost to personal loan growth. The overall economic sentiment has improved recently, mainly driven by the combined effects of existing and new policy measures," said Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank.

China's January financing data reflects moderately loose monetary policy