When Africa meets the Spring Festival
The Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, is China's most important and grand traditional festival. It is a festival that symbolizes unity, prosperity and new hope for the new year. Despite the changes in time and space, the Chinese people’s expectations for the Spring Festival will not change, and the warmth of human sentiments will not change. The tender feelings of happiness and reunion are always in the hearts of Chinese people.
With the increasing frequency of cultural exchanges in the world, the Chinese Spring Festival is going global with its unique charm. A performance similar to the CCTV Spring Festival Gala has now become an "international celebration."
On the occasion of the Spring Festival on February 11, 2018,, the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Information, Culture, Art and Sports of Tanzania jointly organized the 2018 "Happy Chinese New Year" artistic performance titled Rhythm of the Silk Road at the Julius Nyerere International Conference Center in Dar-es-Salaam. We, as invited guests, watched this wonderful performance.
Although we were in Africa, more than 10,000 kilometers away from home, the artists from the motherland allowed us to feel the kindness of the family. The elegant, dignified and unique dance showed the subtle and concise aesthetic concept of Chinese traditional culture.
"One minute on the stage, ten years of work off the stage", the performer threw, caught and rotated a 20kg jar over him. The acrobatic performance "Jar Play" was really commendable.
Chinese opera has a long history. After more than 800 years of continuous enrichment, innovation and development, Chinese opera showed the African people its artistic pursuit and unique charms, and expressed the traditional aesthetic taste of Chinese people.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes have a high artistic achievement. The performers in "Rebound Pipa" was like the goddess coming from the murals. Her dance was stretched and feminine, and her dexterous hands stirred the strings of pipa.
Pipa and Jinghu are both ancient and important traditional Chinese instruments. The melody of "Night Meditation" was exciting, the momentum was strong, and the artistic emotions were distinct.
Tibetans are one of the Chinese ethnic minorities. "Slow and Light Sky Road" expressed beautiful wishes to overseas compatriots and local people in Tanzania with beautiful and free-spirited dances, passionate style, simple and sincere emotions.
In addition to sending the local people festive blessings with wonderful performances, the organizers donated money to two medical institutions in Tanzania, providing timely and urgently needed help to local people.
The deputy chairman of the Tanzanian National Assembly expressed sincere gratitude to us. As a Chinese, I felt very proud. The strength of the motherland is not only reflected in its volume, but also in the care of relatively backward countries.
Thousands of words merged into one wish, "Long live the friendship between China and Tanzania!" A piece of calligraphy by a Chinese artist brought the sincerity from Chinese people from thousands of miles away, and the seeds of the good wishes of the Belt and Road Initiative would blossom in the land of Tanzania.
