As the Spring Festival approaches, Chinese embassies and cultural centers worldwide are staging vibrant celebrations to welcome the Year of the Horse, showcasing traditional music, opera, and martial arts to international audiences.
The Chinese Embassy in Latvia, in collaboration with Chinese Culture Center in Riga, hosted a special cultural performance and Spring Festival reception in the capital of the Baltic country on Wednesday. Nearly 800 attendees, including local people from all walks of life and overseas Chinese, were treated to a vibrant performance by Chinese artists featuring traditional music, folk songs and martial arts.
The Chinese Embassy in Serbia on Wednesday held a Peking Opera-themed Spring Festival reception at the National Theater in Belgrade. Presented by the China National Peking Opera Company, the event saw over 600 participants, including Serbian political leaders and local people from all walks of life.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sent a congratulatory message to the event, wishing that the Year of the Horse brings happiness and strength to the peoples of both countries, and that the Serbia-China relations would move forward like a galloping horse.
Featuring classic Peking Opera repertoire like The Drunken Beauty, the event received enthusiastic applause.
"It was fantastic, very high artistic level. The new year [is] the Year of the Horse. I wish that it brings us prosperity and peace, and stronger bond between the Serbian and Chinese people," said Dusko, a Serbian audience member.
The Chinese Embassy in Mauritania, along with the Mauritanian Chinese Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday held a Spring Festival celebration for Chinese residents in this western African country. Held in the capital city of Nouakchott, the event featured over 10 performances, including songs, dances, and martial arts, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
The promotional video of the China Media Group (CMG)'s 2026 Spring Festival Gala was also shown during the event, resonating deeply with the local Chinese community.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a prominent commercial area on Thursday held a special Spring Festival celebration event. Traditional cultural performances, such as folk rhymes and martial arts, have attracted international visitors to stop and watch.
The promotional video of CMG's 2026 Spring Festival Gala was displayed on several electronic billboards throughout the area.
The Spring Festival, the most important traditional festival in China that marks the beginning of the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year, ushering the Year of the Horse, the seventh animal in the Chinese zodiac cycle. It's a time for families reunite, take part in various customs, and exchange good wishes for happiness and prosperity in the year ahead.
Chinese embassies lead global Spring Festival celebrations to deepen cultural ties
South China's Guangdong Province is accelerating its transformation into an international medical tourism hub, positioning itself as a destination for patients worldwide seeking affordable, high-quality care.
The push follows a joint initiative announced in late March by nine Chinese government departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, aimed at boosting spending by foreign tourists and enhancing exports of tourism services as part of broader efforts to expand the country's service sector.
Every day, some of the most complex surgeries are performed here. Li Zilun, deputy director of the division of vascular surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat‑sen University, is among the doctors capable of carrying out these intricate procedures.
He recently completed surgery on a patient with an aortic aneurysm, a condition often described as a "time bomb" in the body’s main artery, increasingly common in aging societies around the globe. Li also specializes in highly difficult and pioneering procedures, including repairing leaks caused by failed grafts.
"This was a very challenging case. And then, we implanted the covered stent to eliminate the endoleak. Actually, the outcome was pretty good. The patient will be discharged today," said Li Zilun.
The ability to handle such complex cases -- combining international techniques with domestically produced devices -- is drawing patients from around the world to seek treatment. In addition, high safety standards and low costs are also major draws.
"Our government is encouraging innovation. So, lots of physicians -- including our vascular surgeons -- we are actively involved in the innovation that helps to increase the effectiveness and safety, and also bring down the cost," said Li.
This hospital is one of the first in Guangdong to be designated by the provincial health commission as a pilot site for building an international medical service hub.
The growing number of patients has pushed the hospital to explore new ways to transform every step -- from treatment to payment and everything in between -- into a seamless experience, reducing waiting times and delivering better care for patients.
"I think it's fast. When the patient come here for just about, I think, one week, you can solve the problem," said Xiao Haipeng, president of the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.
The hospital is also deepening its international cooperation with top-tier medical institutions, including those at Harvard University.
"Not just for China, for the whole globe, we are facing health care challenges -- emerging infectious disease and chronic, lung infectious diseases, and also the aging population, also the shortage of healthcare workforce," said Xiao.
In response to these challenges, China is promoting its own solutions, including aggressive innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-driven workflows, while stepping up research and development investment and global engagement along the way.
"In recent years, the innovation in Western medicine is dramatically growing. An example of my hospital -- in the past few years, we have 140 innovations and seven of them are international leading innovations," said Xiao.
As global demand for medical tourism grows, China is positioning itself as a new destination. Official data shows that the number of foreign patients in Guangdong increased by 20 percent last year. Among them, the growth in inpatient admissions was even faster, rising by 76 percent.
Guangdong fast-tracks pilot for int'l medical service hub
