Chinese embassies in Africa host receptions to celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese embassies in several African countries are staging lively and festive activities to celebrate the Spring Festival, showcasing traditional music, opera, and martial arts to their local guests and Chinese community representatives.

The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, falls on Feb 17 this year. It is one of the most important holidays in China, celebrated with family reunions and wishes for good luck in the coming year.

The Chinese Embassy in the Republic of the Congo recently hosted a Spring Festival reception, bringing together more than 200 guests, including numerous Congolese officials.

A key highlight of the event was a lighting ceremony, during which the Brazzaville Business Center and a nearby cable-stayed bridge were simultaneously illuminated in "Chinese Red," casting a glow of joy and hope over the Congo River.

Speaking at the event, Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso, minister for International Cooperation and Promotion of Public-Private Partnership of the Republic of the Congo, lauded the strategic mutual trust and cooperation achievements between China and his country.

"The Brazzaville skyline bathed in 'Chinese Red' stands as a vivid testament to the sincere and mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries. It reflects the profound diplomatic ties we have cultivated over the years and the shared desire to further cement this friendship for generations to come," he said.

The Chinese Embassy in Liberia also hosted a Spring Festival reception, attracting over 300 guests. Attendees included Jeremiah Kpan Koung, the Liberian Vice President, Richard Nagbe Koon, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and other dignitaries and members of the public. There were also representatives of Chinese enterprises, institutions, and overseas Chinese in Liberia.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and the guests toasted to the Chinese New Year. Chinese martial arts, songs, and dance performances drew rounds of applause.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in the Maldives held a Spring Festival reception.

Among the nearly 200 attendees were the Minister of Education, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and other Maldivian officials, foreign envoys, and friendly figures, alongside representatives from the local Chinese community and Chinese enterprises in the Maldives.

Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives Kong Xianhua reviewed China's modernization achievements in 2025 and the progress of bilateral cooperation. He encouraged all attendees to help build a China-Maldives community with a shared future and extended New Year greetings to Chinese people living in the Maldives.

At the event, Minister of Education Dr. Ismail Shafeeu affirmed that China and the Maldives remain committed to mutual respect, mutual learning among civilizations, and peaceful cooperation in jointly building a better future. He wished China continued prosperity, expressing hope that the new year would bring greater vitality to the two peoples and further strengthen bilateral ties.

Afterwards, representatives from Chinese enterprises, as well as teachers and students from the Chinese language center, delivered a splendid artistic performance.

Chinese embassies in Africa host receptions to celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese embassies in Africa host receptions to celebrate Chinese New Year

Chinese embassies in Africa host receptions to celebrate Chinese New Year

A galloping horses-themed dance performance at the phenomenal annual TV Spring Festival Gala in China on Monday visually enchanted hundreds of millions of viewers, bringing to life the traditional Chinese spirit of horses, thanks to its innovative choreography, which features a dancer flying in the air with highly skilled manned wire technique and spectacular stage group dancing.

The dance performance was led by a dancer dressed as a horse, while others danced with powerful movements amid drumbeats, presenting the horses' perseverance and free spirit, which channel raw power into an enduring spirit of progress. The dance echoed the Gala’s theme of "Galloping Steed, Onward Unstoppable" with elegance, strength, and vitality.

"This is an original dance from our CMG Spring Festival Gala. The inspiration for this dance actually comes from the imagery of fine horses that have existed in our Chinese culture for thousands of years. Using the concept of chasing the wind and shadows, we express our intrinsic Chinese spirit in the grand style of a male ensemble dance," said Wang Zhenbing, dance director of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala.

"We aimed to make the horse appear more vivid and powerful, capturing its feeling of chasing the wind and racing toward the sun. That’s why we chose to use a flying wire technique, which is the highlight of our performance. We tried to make the flying wire as inconspicuous as possible, adjusting it to the finest state while ensuring safety,” said Geng Zibo, dance choreographer of the 2026 Spring Festival Gala.

With the support of the flying wire, leading male dancer Zhang Han transformed into a nimble white horse, with his movements sometimes as light as the wind and at other times bursting with explosive energy. Each perfect leap relies on the meticulous coordination and precise calibration among the performer, the wire operators, and other dancers.

"The biggest challenge with the flying wire is that we don’t use machines; we rely on skilled operators who must always coordinate closely. They need to adjust to any sudden changes in force or speed on-site,” said Geng.

"The biggest difficulty lies in the coordination between the wire operators, the other dancers, and me. For example, when I'm jumping, the operators need to know exactly when to pull, when the others need to catch me, and how to move me to the next position. This requires repeated practice and coordination,” said Zhang Han.

The Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, is the most important traditional holiday for the Chinese people, and watching the Spring Festival Gala, also known as "Chunwan," is a cherished part of the celebrations every year in hundreds of millions of Chinese homes.

Since first being broadcast in 1983, the Gala has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the most-watched annual television program on the planet.

The Spring Festival itself was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2024.

The 2026 Spring Festival falls on Tuesday this year, ushering in the Year of the Horse.

Chinese Spring Festival Gala’s galloping-horse-themed dance features dancer flying in innovative choreography