Spring Festival carnival celebrates Chinese culture, welcomes Year of the Dragon

A Spring Festival Carnival, hosted by the China International Youth Exchange Center, was held in Beijing on Friday to showcase Chinese culture and welcome the Year of the Dragon.

Approximately 120 guests, including diplomatic envoys from over 30 countries and international students in China, attended the event, according to the center.

The carnival featured 12 of China's intangible cultural heritage items, such as calligraphy, paper cutting, tea culture, and traditional clothing. Chinese and foreign youth engaged in discussions about the meaning of the "Chinese dragon," traditional Spring Festival customs, and how to wear hanfu (a traditional Chinese-style of clothing).

Bishnu Pukar Shrestha, Nepal's ambassador to China, expressed his pleasure at participating in the Lunar New Year carnival with Nepalese students. He emphasized the importance of the younger generation in maintaining the longstanding friendship between Nepal and China and expressed hope for deeper youth exchanges between the two countries.

Katyusha, a Kazakhstani student at the Beijing Film Academy, experienced Chinese culture for the first time at the event. Dressed in traditional Chinese clothing and carrying a lantern with the character "Fu" (meaning fortune), she described her experience as immersive.

A photography major, Katyusha plans to create a series of works showcasing the unique aspects of traditional Chinese culture.

The Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a floating holiday in the UN calendar of conferences and meetings starting in 2024.