Chinese dancers perform
at the Chinese Culture Center in Cairo, capital of Egypt, January
30, 2008. More than 300 Egyptian and Chinese guests attended the
celebration of forthcoming Chinese Spring Festival Wednesday
night.??
Some Egyptians perform
Tai Chi at the Chinese Culture Center in Cairo, capital of Egypt,
January 30, 2008. More than 300 Egyptian and Chinese guests
attended the celebration of Chinese Spring Festival Wednesday
night.
With cheerful smiles on their faces, several
Egyptians were beating drums and playing traditional musical
instruments at the entrance of the Chinese Culture Center in Cairo,
welcoming Chinese and Egyptian guests.
More than 300 guests from China and Egypt flowed
into the Chinese Culture Center in Cairo on Wednesday night to
celebrate the upcoming China's traditional Lunar New Year or Spring
Festival.
Red lanterns, shining Chinese letters "FU"
(blessing) and other decorations of traditional Chinese flavor
added a festive atmosphere.
Songs, dances, games and lottery attended by
participants from both countries were given much applause and great
laughter broke out frequently during the celebration.
"The celebration of China's Spring Festival is very
impressive. It witnesses how Egyptians and Chinese shared the good
time, the civilizations and the harmony," Ahmed Waly, vice-chairman
of the Egyptian-Chinese Friendship Association told Xinhua, sending
his best regards to China and the Chinese people.
For his part, Afro-Asia Writers' Organization
President Magdy Morgan praised the high quality of the performance,
saying that " All the Egyptians here enjoyed this ceremony and
expressed thanks for the Chinese people's hospitality and
generosity."
Speaking of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Morgan said
that the world chose China to host this great event because China
has the capacity, expressing his hopes to watch the games.
Li Jingfang, cultural counselor of the Chinese
Embassy in Egypt told Xinhua that the top Egyptian officials
invited to attend the celebration include a vice-minister of
culture and two major generals from the Interior Ministry among
others.
"They are happy to attend this event and have
knowledge of China's Spring Festival," he added.
Commenting on the performance that Egyptians and
Chinese sing each other's songs, Li said it's a kind of innovation
and shows the exchange of Chinese and Egyptian cultures and the
widely oversea spread of Chinese culture.
For his part, Wu Chunhua, Chinese ambassador to
Egypt, hailed the form of the celebration and the wonderful program
performed with the Chinese-Egyptian cooperation.
Amr, a 19-year-old student of Fayyum University,
which is about 85 km south of Cairo, told Xinhua that he likes
Chinese people and Chinese culture very much.
After having learned Chinese for four months, Amr
is able to express himself in Chinese, noting that he expected to
be a Chinese tour guide in the future.
He was eager to learn how Chinese greet each other
when they meet during the Spring Festival and immediately spoke to
a Chinese guest "Happy China's Lunar New Year" in Chinese, that is
"Guo Nian Hao".
As many Egyptians are tending to learn more about
China, the celebration of China's traditional festival has become
an effective way to spread the Chinese culture in this most
populous Arab country.
(Xinhua News Agency January 31, 2008)
