Harsh winter is gone and pleasant spring has set in, hence the festivities cannot wait any more. And it is the beginning of the Chinese New Year heralding the most famous and biggest Spring festival in the world’s most populous country and its neighbourhood.
Befitting the occasion there were cultural items from China, India, Cambodia and Mongolia. The mega multicoloured event was launched for a global audience through cloud technology. This activity is one of highlights in the 2023 “Celebrate the Spring Festival and Pray for Blessings around the World” Gala and the Spring Festival Cultural Exchanges among China, India, Cambodia and Mongolia.
Tao Chun, the national first-class director of China who also acts as the general director of this Gala, introduces that this activity has three major features: the brand-new artistic expression, which highlights Chinese traditional culture and Yunnan elements, and skilfully integrates the excellent culture and art of China, India, Cambodia and Mongolia. The Information Office, Office of International Affairs of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province and Yunnan Office of China News organised the grand event starting January 20.
At the gala, the vocal performance show The Spring Festival Is Coming in the Sound of “Bamboo Instruments” was staged in the bamboo forest in Yuxi, Yunnan. Jia Zhengfu, an original ecological artist of Yunnan, joined hands with Yuxi Nie Er Bamboo Orchestra to play music and dance with bamboo, which indeed amazed the audience. The China-Laos railway, the original rap song Take High-speed Railway to Appreciate Scenery of the Sea was there too. “Different from the regular party, this filming is completed outside the studio, and a large number of programs are filmed in the real scenes, which can be said to be an attempt of a brand-new artistic expression.” Tao Chun introduced that the creative team also added a lot of fashionable and popular elements in the programs, such as rap, street dance, flash, etc., which made the gala more popular among young people.
In the dance Rabbits Welcome the Spring Festival, a group of cute little actors dressed as the image of the Jade Rabbit in China’s traditional culture, stepped on a cheerful beat and sent the Spring Festival greetings to the Year of the Rabbit. Moreover, the performance Festively Singing and Dancing was a fusion of the Wa people’s “hair dance” and “wooden drum dance”, which showed the enthusiastic and unrestrained characters of the Wa girls and boys. The programs such as Flowers and Youth, Harmonious Rainforest and Meet in Beautiful Yunnan also presented Chinese martial arts, Yunnan’s biodiversity and folk customs of different nationalities respectively. Tao Chun said that the traditional Chinese cultural elements and a large number of splendid Yunnan elements presented made the gala an excellent opportunity for the world to know about Yunnan and China.
Wang Hao, vice governor of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province said in his speech that Yunnan is a frontier province of China’s opening to South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean Rim. In recent years, relying on “Chinese Spring Festival”, Yunnan has continuously deepened cultural exchanges with neighboring countries.
Cambodian Ambassador to China, Khek Sysoda, delivered a video speech, saying that the traditional friendly partnership between Cambodia and China has become increasingly close for more than half a century.
Mongolian Ambassador to China, Tuvshinghiin Ba Dheurle, said in the video speech that this activity is of great significance to promoting cultural exchanges among countries and he firmly believes that this event will deepen understanding and friendship among countries and promote exchanges in culture and tourism.
The enchanting and swaying Indian dance Oriental Charm explained the charming oriental style of India, a “Kingdom of Song and Dance”, and became one of the most popular programs at the gala. In the Light of Friendship, a peacock dance created by China and Cambodia, “dancers dressed in peacock costumes” performed together on the stage, and vividly imitated the peacock’s demeanour, such as “walking in the forest”, “flapping wings” and “drinking water”.
Tao Chun said that programs such as Romance of Grassland and Smile of Angkor presented beautiful songs and dances from the four countries, and programs such as Love for China, a song co-operated by Chinese and Cambodian actors, and flash shows of songs and dances from various countries integrated the artistic forms.
Beautiful China Colourful Yunnan-Photo & Video Exhibition – In this unique photography and video exhibition, the whole beauty of Yunnan, its nature, people, and development were on display. Short videos are selected from the works collected in the early stage, including “South of Clouds”, “HIGH Yunnan”, Hulusi, one of the “Intangible Cultural Heritages” and “Festival is Life”. There are 60 pieces of wonderful works in four series consisting of- “Chinese New Year, Spring Festival and other aspects.
